News story: David Bunting appointed interim General Counsel and Solicitor

David, currently working in the Cross-Government Border Delivery Group, will take up the role from 1 July, becoming Director General of the Solicitor’s Office and Legal Services Group and joining the department’s Executive Committee, reporting to our Chief Executive Jon Thompson.

There will be an open recruitment process in the coming months to fill the role permanently.

David has more than 20 years’ legal experience. He trained in the Inland Revenue and has worked extensively on tax matters, leading large HMRC legal teams dealing with tax policy and legislation in relation to UK business and environmental taxes including Corporation Tax, VAT, Customs and Excise duties, oil and gas taxation, Landfill Tax, Climate Change Levy and betting and gaming duties.

He has also led HMRC’s litigation activity, overseeing about 10,000 cases at any one time involving billions in revenues. He was promoted into the Senior Civil Service in 2008 and in 2012 became a legal director at HMRC.

In 2017 David moved to the Border Delivery Group led by Karen Wheeler, a cross-UK government team focusing on the operational and practical impacts that EU exit may have on the UK’s border.

He lives in Bristol and is married with two sons.

We will confirm any new arrangements in Border Delivery Group in due course.