Darren Murphy

Former Labour spin doctor Darren Murphy, joined a political lobbying consultancy firm ACPO Worldwide in 2005.

According to his ACPO Worldwide biography:

Mr. "Darren Murphy, director in APCO Worldwide’s London office, provides expertise in crisis communication, strategic communication and government relations as well as a unique insight into health care decision making at the highest level. Mr. Murphy is a former adviser to the Blair government, a position he held from May 1997 to September 2005"

So what happened to the Civil Service Code, which is meant to apply equally to Special Advisors as well as to Civil Servants ?

Leaving the Civil Service

26. The Business Appointment rules apply to all civil servants, including Special Advisers, for the first two years after leaving office. The rules are set out in Section 4.3, annexes A and B of the Civil Service Management Code. Decisions on applications submitted by Special Advisers will be taken by the Permanent Secretary.

Darren Murphy appears on the current and the previous 1 June 2005 - 30 November 2005 (30 page .pdf - ACPO is the first alphabetical entry) Register of the Association of Professional Political Consultants i.e. he must have joined ACPO Worldwide less than 2 months after leaving his post as a Special Advisor.