Trade envoy’s £12million New York penthouse... and it’s paid for by you!
WITH its glorious Manhattan views and a £12million price tag, you might expect this lavish apartment to belong to a Hollywood A-lister.
In fact, the seven-bedroom penthouse will be home to the civil servant set to negotiate our trade deal with the US after Brexit.
The Government has bought the apartment for Antony Phillipson, the trade commissioner for North America and consul general, to be used when Britain leaves the EU.
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt arranged the purchase of the 5,893 sq ft flat which occupies the whole of the 38th floor of 50 United Nations Plaza, a 42-storey block near the UN headquarters in Manhattan.
According to New York City records,‘her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Com- monwealth Affairs’ bought Penthouse 38 for £12.03m ($15.9m) on March 15.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: ‘We have secured the best possible deal and value for money on a property that will help promote the UK in the commercial capital of our largest export market and trading partner.
‘As well as being the consul general’s residence, it will also be used to support his work to help British businesses as Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America. We are in the process of selling the consul general’s current residence.’
The apartment boasts five ensuite bedrooms, with the master bedroom’s featuring a marble bath, a shower and a steam room.
The floorplan also shows two ‘staff bedrooms’ but it is not known whether Mr Phillipson will be hiring staff.
The kitchen is equipped with technology ranging from a high-speed oven to an ice maker and a wine cooler.
The property even has its own library, The Guardian reported.
The 550ft (167m) skyscraper was developed by the Zeckendorf family and Eyal Ofer, a Monaco-based Israeli property billionaire. The building has high security, including a 24-hour gated entrance.
A spokesman for Zeckendorf Development and Ofer’s Global Holdings Inc said: ‘We are delighted with this full-floor penthouse sale to Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.’
Mr Phillipson joined the civil service in 1993 and served as director of trade and partnerships in the Department for Exiting the European Union until November 2017, when he moved to the US.
It will be his responsibility to encourage dignitaries worldwide to sign trade deals with Britain when it leaves the EU.
‘Secured the best possible deal’