Charles Lewington
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Charles Lewington is founder and MD of Hanover a leading PR consultancy. Formerly Press Secretary to John Major in the 1990s and Executive Editor of the Sunday Express Lewington founded the company in 1998.[1] In September 2007 Hanover were recruited by Gerry and Kate McCann after former treasury special advisor Justine McGuinness became overwhelmed by press interest in the McCann's case. The McCanns had previously used Bell Pottinger's consultant Alex Woolfall and Sheree Dodd, a former spokeswoman for the Government to assist them in handling the media. On Hanover's involvement with the McCanns Lewington said "The McCanns have been treated extremely badly by the press, it's only right to help them out." [2]. However, two months later Hanover ended their work with the family which they said "‘reflects a decrease in international press interest’ following the six-month anniversary of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance" [3]
Hanover held the public affairs brief for Diageo UK from 2007- July 2010.
Contents
Views
Lewington on New Labour
- Alistair Campbell was a thug but it was his job. I think the problem for New Labour was that there was a culture of spin throughout the Party, which meant they were never good at managing expectations. For example, they gave the impression that they could solve the problems of the National Health Service overnight but life doesn’t work like that.[4]
Career Time-line
- 1981 Reporter, The Bath Chronicle
- 1988 News Editor, Western Daily Press
- 1990 Political Correspondent, Daily Express
- 1993 Political Editor, Sunday Express
- 1994 Executive Editor, Sunday Express
- 1995 Press Secretary to Prime Minister John Major
- 1998 Founded Media Strategy
- 2007 Media Strategy re-branded as Hanover
Lobbyists and MPs at the 2015 FT summer party
In June 2015 key lobbying figures, Lewington, Tim Allan (MD of Portland) and John Lehal (founder and MD of Insight Consulting Group) attended the FT Summer Party bash at the Mondrian London Hotel. Also present were Labour MPs Andy Burnham, Chuka Umunna, Tristram Hunt, Emma Reynolds and Chris Bryant, peer Lord Mandelson, Conservative MP Sajid Javid and Mayor of London candidate Sol Campbell.[6]
Resources
- Melissa Jones and Andy Rowell, Access all areas: Westminster's (vast) fracking lobby exposed, 29 April 2015.
References
- ↑ Hanover Website Our People accessed 24th September 2008
- ↑ David Quainton, PR Week 14-Sep-07, McCanns hire Hanover for PR in face of media onslaught accessed September 24th 2008
- ↑ Hannah Marriott PR Week UK 21-Nov-07, Hanover calls time on McCanns accessed 24th September 2007
- ↑ BA2 THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BATH Profile: Charles Lewington OBE: A conservative amount of spin page 19, accessed 24th September 2008
- ↑ BA2 THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BATH Profile: Charles Lewington OBE: A conservative amount of spin page 19, accessed 24th September 2008
- ↑ David Singleton Labour MPs and lobbyists out in force at FT summer party Total Politics, 24 June 2015, accessed 24 June 2015.
