Cameron’s Sri Lankan advisor Rohan Silva leaves

    You may never have heard of Rohan Silva. But this key advisor to Britain’s Prime Minister is also responsible for helping create Britain’s transparent open data regime.David Cameron’s advisor, from Sri Lankan origin , Rohan Silva , an ethnic Sinhalese , who made most impact on policy of Prime Minister at last decided to become entrepreneur  thus leaving number 10 and special advisory role.  David Cameron recently defied the calls by British Tamils and Human Right activists to show leadership on Sri Lanka by boycotting the Commonwealth summit in November.For the past five or six years, if you asked late twenty somethings in the Westminster milieu which young adviser had the most impact on policy, the answer was often reliably “Silva”. Many of the most progressive initiatives in government — open data; a commitment to aid spending; the Big Society; the national Life Science Strategy; London’s Tech City — bear his imprint.

David Cameron’s policy on Sri Lanka was condemned by Human Right campaigners as he decided to handshake with Sri Lankan war crimes alleged government by attending Commonwealth in November 2013

It was more than a decade ago that he left his native Wakefield — his parents emigrated from Sri Lanka in the Sixties — to read law at Manchester University. Many of his friends were heading there, and his mum told him to hold off going to London until he had some money. He later gained entry to the Treasury via the Civil Service fast stream but deferred for a year after winning a place at the LSE.

On Cameron’s first foreign trip as Prime Minister, to India, Silva got talking to Matt Webb, founder of Berg, a design consultancy. Berg said exciting new tech companies were emerging in east London but they lacked access to investors. Silva therefore asked Jeremy Hunt, then Culture Secretary and a former digital entrepreneur, to come to Silicon Valley with him. “So what’s the plan?,” Hunt asked him at Heathrow. There wasn’t one.

For the past five or six years, if you asked late twenty  somethings in the Westminster milieu which young adviser had the most impact on policy, the answer was often reliably “Silva”. Many of the most progressive initiatives in government — open data; a commitment to aid spending; the Big Society; the national Life Science Strategy; London’s Tech City — bear his imprint.

It was more than a decade ago that he left his native Wakefield — his parents emigrated from Sri Lanka in the Sixties — to read law at Manchester University. Many of his friends were heading there, and his mum told him to hold off going to London until he had some money. He later gained entry to the Treasury via the Civil Service fast stream but deferred for a year after winning a place at the LSE.