My friend Craig Pickering, who has died aged 72 of heart failure, spent much of his working life in the Treasury, applying the tactics of a devoted chess player to the conundrum of improving the long-term efficacy of the British economy. He was kind, funny and far-sighted, and although smarter than everyone else around, he never flaunted the fact.
Born in South Shields, he was the son of Raymond Pickering, a merchant navy river pilot on the Tyne, and Beryl (nee Young), who looked after the home. From Robert Richardson grammar school in Ryhope, Sunderland, Craig went to the London School of Economics and gained a BSc in governance and a doctorate in politics.
