Difference between revisions of "New Labour: Special Advisers"

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Some advisers have now moved on to safe Labour seats, vacated by long-standing MPs who were given peerages to get them out of the way, including [[David Milliband]], [[James Purnell]] and [[Andy Burnham]], all former members of the [[Downing Street Policy Unit]].
 
Some advisers have now moved on to safe Labour seats, vacated by long-standing MPs who were given peerages to get them out of the way, including [[David Milliband]], [[James Purnell]] and [[Andy Burnham]], all former members of the [[Downing Street Policy Unit]].
 
==Advisers==
 
==Advisers==
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Alastair Campbell Director of Communications and Strategy
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The Prime Minister's former Official Spokesman, known as the 'real Deputy Prime Minister'. Former porn writer for Forum, he went to Cambridge University. He was Political Editor of Today and the Mirror and has worked for Tony Blair since 1994. His partner is Fiona Millar. He is paid £120,000 (£93,562 in 2000).
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Jonathon Powell Chief of Staff
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Brother of Thatcher's favourite PR man Charles Powell. He is paid £120,000 and was one of the driving forces behind the decision that one of the quickest ways to show that the Labour Party was pro-business was to take funding from business. Another of his brothers, Chris Powell, was Managing Director of BMP DDB Needham, the Labour Party's advertising agency for the 1997 election. Click on the image for more information.
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Sally Morgan Director of Government Relations
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Tony Blair's former political secretary at No. 10, who was given a peerage after the 2001 election, but has now taken over from Anji Hunter as Director of Government Communications. She was a Labour Party Student Organiser and Senior Targetting Officer from 1985-93. She was the Labour Party's Director of Campaigns and Elections from 1993-95 and Tony Blair's Head of Party Liaison from 1995-97. Given peerage without being vetted by the House of Lords Appointment Commission.
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Robert Hill Tony Blair's Political Secretary
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Former health adviser to Tony Blair at No.10, became Political Secretary to Blair in 2001. Used to work for the Audit Commission and Capita. He was a press officer for Tony Blair before the 1997 election.Click on the image for more information.
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Andrew Adonis Policy Directorate
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Former Lib Dem parliamentary candidate (and local councillor) and journalist with the Financial Times and the Observer. Education and Constitution policy adviser at No.10. He is opposed to the elitism of the 'Oxbridge' universities, although he actually studied History at Oxford University.Click on the image for more information.
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Simon Stevens Policy Directorate
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Special Adviser at the DoH from 1997-2001. Former President of the Union at Oxford University and analyst for the Guyana Sugar Corporation. Former Director of East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Health Authority. Policy Adviser.
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Peter Hyman Strategic Communications Unit
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Former Labour Party press officer, BBC producer and Sky News journalist. He is the Policy Directorate's media analyst. He worked as a researcher for Donald Dewar and John Smith.
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Geoffrey Norris Policy Directorate
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Used to work on transport issues (he criticised John Prescott's transport white paper as too anti-car), now specialises in trade and industry matters. He has championed the case for Post Office privatisation as the best deal for business, and "Tony adores him." He is regarded as driving an agenda of his own, championing business and determined to undermine the Unions and the Public Sector. He went to Oxford University where he was known for 'Hard-Left' tendencies.
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Derek Scott Policy Directorate
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An ex-SDP economic adviser (and parliamentary candidate), now economic adviser for the Policy Directorate. Worked as an economist for Shell from 1982-6 and for Barclays de Zoete Wedd (BZW) and the IPPR. He was paid £78,128 in 1999. In April 1996 Barclay's Bank paid for Peter Mandelson to make a 10-day trip to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, to reassure businesses that a Labour Government was no threat to them. The trip was organised by BZW, when Derek Scott was working there (and acting as a part-time adviser to Tony Blair).
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Ed Richards Policy Directorate
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Used to work as head of strategy for John Birt at the BBC, then for Gordon Brown in Opposition. His brief at the Policy Unit is to work on long-term strategy for the Labour Party's second term. Said to be consulting within the Labour Party and with Business.
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Philip Bassett Research and Information Unit
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Former Industrial Editor at the Times. Married to Baroness Symons, a Minister at the Foreign Office. He wrote the briefing paper for Tony Blair's disastrous Women's Institute speech in June 2000. He went to Oxford University.
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Carey Oppenheim Policy Directorate
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Former senior lecturer in social policy at the South Bank University and Research Director at the IPPR. She is Chair of the NEXUS Stakeholder Society Group. She used to work for the Child Poverty Action Group and as a researcher for James Callaghan.
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Justin Russell Policy Directorate
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Former Senior Manager at the Audit Commission (where Robert Hill also worked). He previously held policy and research jobs in the Labour Party Policy Unit. He went to Oxford University. Special Adviser on policy at the Home Office until the 2001 election.
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Alastair MacGowan Policy Directorate
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Special Adviser at the MOD until the 2001 election. Former Research Assistant to Martin O'Neill (Energy) and George Robertson (Scottish Secretary) in Opposition. He went to Oxford University.
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Sarah Hunter Policy Directorate
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Part of the team that travelled with Tony Blair on his 2001 election campaign bus, worked for the Labour Party in Opposition. In the past she has worked for Peter Mandelson and for the BBC's policy directorate.
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Roger Liddle Foreign Policy Adviser
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A founding member of (and parliamentary candidate for) the SDP. Former Director of Prima Europe PR consultancy. He was paid £78,128 in 1999. He went to Oxford University, and specialises in European policy issues.Click on the image for more information.
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Liz Lloyd Foreign Policy Adviser
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A researcher for Tony Blair since he became leader of the Labour Party. Former partner of Ed Milliband, she shares a flat with James Purnell. Used to specialise in Environment (she was connected with the 'Biotechnology Presentation Group' of Government Ministers, set up in 1999 to sell pro-GM policies to the media), but now covers Home Affairs. Sits on Crime Reduction Task Force. She is paid £70,000. She went to Cambridge University.
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Fiona Millar Director of Events
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Special Adviser in No.10 until the 2001 election in what used to be the 'Social Unit'. Alastair Campbell's partner. Former journalist for the Express. She is Cherie Blair's assistant and handles her PR, as well as organising Tony Blair's visits. She is paid about £75,000.
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Hilary Coffman
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Special Adviser/Press Officer at Downing Street (she resigned temporarily to accompany Blair on the 2001 election campaign). Used to be married to David Seymour, who was Alastair Campbell's Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror, now married to David Hill.
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David Bradshaw Strategic Communications Unit
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Former Deputy Political Editor at the Mirror, working for Alastair Campbell. Worked at Millbank during the 1997 election campaign, and has been working at No.10 ever since.
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Kate Garvey
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Worked for Tony Blair in Opposition, then became Blair's Private Secretary until she temporarily resigned to work on the 2001 election campaign tour, returning to No.10 after the election.
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Catherine Rimmer
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Former colleague of Bill Bush at the Political Research Department of the BBC.
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Carl Sobhan
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Former member of the Media Monitoring Unit at the Labour Party's Millbank HQ, nicknamed the Ministry of Truth. Alongside Chris McShane, he was appointed in January 2000 as a Special Adviser in Downing Street. He is paid approximately £70,000.
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Chris McShane
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Former member of the Media Monitoring Unit at the Labour Party's Millbank HQ with Carl Sobhan. He is paid approximately £70,000.
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Joanna Nadin
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Member of the Labour Party's Policy Unit at Millbank until becoming a Special Adviser after the 2001 election.
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Patrick Diamond
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Former Special Adviser to Peter Mandelson, when he was Northern Ireland Secretary. Former Chairman of Labour Students, he stood for Cambridge Council in 1998 and lost. Director of New Labour magazine 'Progress' and member of the Steering Committee of the Labour Renewal Network. Responsible for issues concerning public services.
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Matthew Elson Policy Directorate
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Joined the Policy Directorate in January 2002 from McKinseys, the management consultants that has many links with the Labour Government. Transport policy adviser.
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*[[Ed Balls]]
 
*[[Ed Balls]]
 
*[[Ed Miliband]]
 
*[[Ed Miliband]]

Revision as of 22:08, 20 February 2007

Special Advisers are employed by UK government departments outside the normal civil service hierarchy. Whilst there have been Special Advisers employed by Governments in the past, their numbers have increased by a huge amount under Tony Blair, rising to a total of 80 in November 2001. Tony Blair has 29, mainly in the new Downing Street Policy Directorate and his Strategic Communications Unit.

The bill for these Advisers was £4.4 million in 2001, making the average salary nearly £60,000. The total salary bill for Tony Blair's private office was £10.8 million in 1999. The pay of most Advisers is kept secret, but it is known that both Alastair Campbell, Blair's Press Secretary and Jonathon Powell, Downing Street Chief of Staff, are paid more than £120,000.

Although Advisers like Alastair Campbell hold a huge amount of power, none of them are elected and very few of their jobs are advertised - they are all political appointees.

Many former advisers to the Labour Party have moved on to very well-paid jobs with lobbying and PR companies. Tim Allan, a former Downing Street Adviser, became Director of Corporate Communications for Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB. Anji Hunter, Tony Blair's former 'Gatekeeper' private secretary, took over as Director of Communications at BP on a salary of £200,000.

Like the majority of the Labour Government, most of the Special Advisers have been to Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Several Advisers have been friends with senior Labour Party figures for many years, others are partners of millionaires or bosses and all come from a self-perpetuating middle class elite that thrives on patronage, using it to by-pass the grubby world of democracy and slip into positions of power and influence. When the 2001 election was called, most of the Government's Special Advisers resigned, mainly to work in the election campaign. Most returned to their jobs, although some lost their patron Minister in the June 2001 reshuffle and moved into the private sector. For full details, check out the new Former Advisers section.

Some advisers have now moved on to safe Labour seats, vacated by long-standing MPs who were given peerages to get them out of the way, including David Milliband, James Purnell and Andy Burnham, all former members of the Downing Street Policy Unit.

Advisers

Alastair Campbell Director of Communications and Strategy The Prime Minister's former Official Spokesman, known as the 'real Deputy Prime Minister'. Former porn writer for Forum, he went to Cambridge University. He was Political Editor of Today and the Mirror and has worked for Tony Blair since 1994. His partner is Fiona Millar. He is paid £120,000 (£93,562 in 2000).


Jonathon Powell Chief of Staff Brother of Thatcher's favourite PR man Charles Powell. He is paid £120,000 and was one of the driving forces behind the decision that one of the quickest ways to show that the Labour Party was pro-business was to take funding from business. Another of his brothers, Chris Powell, was Managing Director of BMP DDB Needham, the Labour Party's advertising agency for the 1997 election. Click on the image for more information.


Sally Morgan Director of Government Relations Tony Blair's former political secretary at No. 10, who was given a peerage after the 2001 election, but has now taken over from Anji Hunter as Director of Government Communications. She was a Labour Party Student Organiser and Senior Targetting Officer from 1985-93. She was the Labour Party's Director of Campaigns and Elections from 1993-95 and Tony Blair's Head of Party Liaison from 1995-97. Given peerage without being vetted by the House of Lords Appointment Commission.


Robert Hill Tony Blair's Political Secretary Former health adviser to Tony Blair at No.10, became Political Secretary to Blair in 2001. Used to work for the Audit Commission and Capita. He was a press officer for Tony Blair before the 1997 election.Click on the image for more information.


Andrew Adonis Policy Directorate Former Lib Dem parliamentary candidate (and local councillor) and journalist with the Financial Times and the Observer. Education and Constitution policy adviser at No.10. He is opposed to the elitism of the 'Oxbridge' universities, although he actually studied History at Oxford University.Click on the image for more information.


Simon Stevens Policy Directorate Special Adviser at the DoH from 1997-2001. Former President of the Union at Oxford University and analyst for the Guyana Sugar Corporation. Former Director of East Sussex, Brighton and Hove Health Authority. Policy Adviser.


Peter Hyman Strategic Communications Unit Former Labour Party press officer, BBC producer and Sky News journalist. He is the Policy Directorate's media analyst. He worked as a researcher for Donald Dewar and John Smith.


Geoffrey Norris Policy Directorate Used to work on transport issues (he criticised John Prescott's transport white paper as too anti-car), now specialises in trade and industry matters. He has championed the case for Post Office privatisation as the best deal for business, and "Tony adores him." He is regarded as driving an agenda of his own, championing business and determined to undermine the Unions and the Public Sector. He went to Oxford University where he was known for 'Hard-Left' tendencies.


Derek Scott Policy Directorate An ex-SDP economic adviser (and parliamentary candidate), now economic adviser for the Policy Directorate. Worked as an economist for Shell from 1982-6 and for Barclays de Zoete Wedd (BZW) and the IPPR. He was paid £78,128 in 1999. In April 1996 Barclay's Bank paid for Peter Mandelson to make a 10-day trip to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, to reassure businesses that a Labour Government was no threat to them. The trip was organised by BZW, when Derek Scott was working there (and acting as a part-time adviser to Tony Blair).


Ed Richards Policy Directorate Used to work as head of strategy for John Birt at the BBC, then for Gordon Brown in Opposition. His brief at the Policy Unit is to work on long-term strategy for the Labour Party's second term. Said to be consulting within the Labour Party and with Business.


Philip Bassett Research and Information Unit Former Industrial Editor at the Times. Married to Baroness Symons, a Minister at the Foreign Office. He wrote the briefing paper for Tony Blair's disastrous Women's Institute speech in June 2000. He went to Oxford University.


Carey Oppenheim Policy Directorate Former senior lecturer in social policy at the South Bank University and Research Director at the IPPR. She is Chair of the NEXUS Stakeholder Society Group. She used to work for the Child Poverty Action Group and as a researcher for James Callaghan.


Justin Russell Policy Directorate Former Senior Manager at the Audit Commission (where Robert Hill also worked). He previously held policy and research jobs in the Labour Party Policy Unit. He went to Oxford University. Special Adviser on policy at the Home Office until the 2001 election.


Alastair MacGowan Policy Directorate Special Adviser at the MOD until the 2001 election. Former Research Assistant to Martin O'Neill (Energy) and George Robertson (Scottish Secretary) in Opposition. He went to Oxford University.


Sarah Hunter Policy Directorate Part of the team that travelled with Tony Blair on his 2001 election campaign bus, worked for the Labour Party in Opposition. In the past she has worked for Peter Mandelson and for the BBC's policy directorate.


Roger Liddle Foreign Policy Adviser A founding member of (and parliamentary candidate for) the SDP. Former Director of Prima Europe PR consultancy. He was paid £78,128 in 1999. He went to Oxford University, and specialises in European policy issues.Click on the image for more information.


Liz Lloyd Foreign Policy Adviser A researcher for Tony Blair since he became leader of the Labour Party. Former partner of Ed Milliband, she shares a flat with James Purnell. Used to specialise in Environment (she was connected with the 'Biotechnology Presentation Group' of Government Ministers, set up in 1999 to sell pro-GM policies to the media), but now covers Home Affairs. Sits on Crime Reduction Task Force. She is paid £70,000. She went to Cambridge University.


Fiona Millar Director of Events Special Adviser in No.10 until the 2001 election in what used to be the 'Social Unit'. Alastair Campbell's partner. Former journalist for the Express. She is Cherie Blair's assistant and handles her PR, as well as organising Tony Blair's visits. She is paid about £75,000.


Hilary Coffman Special Adviser/Press Officer at Downing Street (she resigned temporarily to accompany Blair on the 2001 election campaign). Used to be married to David Seymour, who was Alastair Campbell's Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror, now married to David Hill.


David Bradshaw Strategic Communications Unit Former Deputy Political Editor at the Mirror, working for Alastair Campbell. Worked at Millbank during the 1997 election campaign, and has been working at No.10 ever since.


Kate Garvey Worked for Tony Blair in Opposition, then became Blair's Private Secretary until she temporarily resigned to work on the 2001 election campaign tour, returning to No.10 after the election.


Catherine Rimmer Former colleague of Bill Bush at the Political Research Department of the BBC.


Carl Sobhan Former member of the Media Monitoring Unit at the Labour Party's Millbank HQ, nicknamed the Ministry of Truth. Alongside Chris McShane, he was appointed in January 2000 as a Special Adviser in Downing Street. He is paid approximately £70,000.


Chris McShane Former member of the Media Monitoring Unit at the Labour Party's Millbank HQ with Carl Sobhan. He is paid approximately £70,000.


Joanna Nadin Member of the Labour Party's Policy Unit at Millbank until becoming a Special Adviser after the 2001 election.


Patrick Diamond Former Special Adviser to Peter Mandelson, when he was Northern Ireland Secretary. Former Chairman of Labour Students, he stood for Cambridge Council in 1998 and lost. Director of New Labour magazine 'Progress' and member of the Steering Committee of the Labour Renewal Network. Responsible for issues concerning public services.


Matthew Elson Policy Directorate Joined the Policy Directorate in January 2002 from McKinseys, the management consultants that has many links with the Labour Government. Transport policy adviser.


Treasury Council of Economic Advisers

Sue Jackson Former Labour Party Campaigns Officer and Head of Administration in Tony Blair's Office. A career Labour Party official.


Margaret Ounsley Former Labour councillor in Reading who then worked for the Local Government Association. Former History teacher.


David Mathieson Special Adviser at the Foreign Office until the 2001 election, now Special Adviser to the Leader of the House of Commons. Former solicitor with Clifford Chance. A Party Political Appointee, paid for by the Labour Party.


Meg Russell Special Adviser to the Leader of the House of Commons. Senior Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit of the University College London (also responsible for PR). A former National Women's Officer in the Labour Party and Parliamentary Researcher for Clare Short (in Opposition).


Greg Power Special Adviser to the Leader of the House of Commons. Former Director of the Hansard Society's Parliament and Government Programme and Head of the Parliamentary Unit at Charter 88.


Matthew Seward Special Adviser to the Leader of the House of Lords. Former Home Affairs Policy Officer for the Labour Party. He went to Hull University.


Deborah Lincoln Special Adviser to the Leader of the House of Lords. Formerly Director of Communications at Macmillan Cancer Relief and a former National Women's Officer in the Labour Party.


Fiona Gordon Special Adviser to the Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong. Former West Midlands Regional Director for the Labour Party.


Joe McCrea Knowledge Network Project Joe McCrea was the former Special Adviser to Frank Dobson from 1997-9 (he also worked for Dobson in opposition for 4 years). He is now the Project Manager of the Knowledge Network Project (KNP) at the Cabinet Office. He is said to have ordered the playing of New Labour's favourite song "Things can only get better" at his wedding reception in 1999! Click on the image for more information.

Deputy Prime Minister

Ian McKenzie Special Adviser in the Cabinet Office until the 2001 election. Worked as an adviser to Ann Taylor (former Chief Government Whip) in opposition. Former Head of PR at the Southampton Institute (a higher education college). Former President of the University of East Anglia Student's Union.


Joan Hammell Special Adviser at the DETR from 1997-2001. She has worked for John Prescott since 1994. Before that she worked for Neil Kinnock, Ann Taylor and Frank Field.


Anna Healy Worked as Senior Consultant for Strategic Communications at lobbyists GPC (alongside Joy Johnson, former head of Party communications) until the 2001 election, and previously as Press and Strategic Communications Co-ordinator for Carlton Television. Former adviser to Jack Cunningham and Mo Mowlam, before that she worked as Senior Parliamentary Press Officer for the Labour Party for 6 years. Working part-time for John Prescott.


Paul Hackett Special Adviser at the DETR from 1997-2001. Previously worked at the Cranfield School of Management and the TUC (remains a Research Fellow at Cranfield University). He was caught on film in 1998 trying to get the Lobbyist Derek Draper to publicise a report he had written for Cranfield, in return for a favour Draper was asking him. Working part-time for John Prescott.

Department of Trade and Industry

Jim Godfrey He is a former PR manager for the IPPR (where he worked one day a week for Patricia Hewitt). He worked on Frank Dobson's campaign to be mayor of London and joined the Labour Party's Millbank team as a Senior Press Officer in 2000 and worked on the 2001 election campaign.


Kitty Usher Former Chief Economist at the Britain in Europe group.


Roger Sharp Former Head of Business Liaison for the Labour Party at Millbank. Previously worked at lobbyists GJW Government Relations. A Manchester City fan, he is working for the DTI part-time.

Forward Strategy Unit The Cabinet Office Forward Strategy Unit was set up after the 2001 election to work on policy and strategy projects. It is run by former Special Adviser Geoff Mulgan. There are a number of people working in the Unit as unpaid advisers:


Dr Arnab Banerji Chief Investment Officer at Foreign &Colonial Management Ltd. He is responsible for investment management, policy decision-making and asset allocation. Previously he was Chief of Staff at Citibank Global Asset Management.


Nick Lovegrove Director at McKinsey & Company, co-leader of the Global Media and Entertainment Practice (in charge of 200 consultants around the world), in the past he has advised Gordon Brown on productivity and competitiveness. McKinsey have held seminars on productivity at Downing Street. He is working with the DCMS, looking at the effect of technology on broadcasting.


Penny Hughes Former President of Coca Cola Great Britain and Ireland. Non-Executive Director of Vodaphone, Enodis, Swedish bank SEB and Trinity Mirror.


Adair Turner Vice-Chairman of Merrill Lynch and former Director-General of the CBI. In the past he has worked for BP, Chase Manhattan Bank and McKinsey & Company. He went to Cambridge University, where he was Chairman of the Conservative Association. Joined the SDP in the 1980's. He sat on the Government's Skills Task Force and the DTI's Competitiveness Advisory Group. He is examining the "supply side" of the NHS.

Former Advisers

Resources

Info-Dynamics Research Where are they now? The 1997/1998 Special Advisers to the Labour Government April 2006 Briefing for GMB.

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