The Downing Street director of communications is the post of director of communications for the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The position is held by an appointed special adviser.[1]
 Downing Street Director of Communications | |
|---|---|
.svg) Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government | |
.jpg) | |
| Prime Minister's Office | |
| Appointer | Prime Minister |
| Formation | 2000 |
| First holder | Alastair Campbell |
| Website | www |
In September 2022, as part of the incoming Truss ministry, the role was sub-divided into a political and non-political remit, with Adam Jones becoming the political director of communications and Simon McGee the director of government communications.[2][3]
The role is currently held by Matthew Doyle, who served as Director of Communications under Keir Starmer whilst in opposition. [4]
The role sub-division was abolished during the Sunak ministry.[citation needed]
History
editThe position of Downing Street Director of Communications was created in 2000. The first holder of the position was Alastair Campbell who had previously served as the Downing Street press secretary and as the prime minister's official spokesperson. The position initially held the power to issue orders to civil servants, but this authority was removed after Campbell's departure in 2003.[5]
The post was temporarily vacant from April to July 2017 following the resignation of the former director of communications, Katie Perrior.[6][7][8]
List of directors of communications
edit| # | Communications Director | Years | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alastair Campbell | 2000–2003 | Tony Blair | |
| 2 | David Hill | 2003–2007 | ||
| 3 | Michael Ellam | 2007–2009 | Gordon Brown | |
| 4 | Simon Lewis | 2009–2010 | ||
| 5 | Andy Coulson | 2010–2011 | David Cameron | |
| 6 | Craig Oliver | 2011–2016 | ||
| 7 | Katie Perrior | 2016–2017 | Theresa May | |
| 8 | Robbie Gibb | 2017–2019 | ||
| 9 | Lee Cain | 2019–2020 | Boris Johnson | |
| 10 | James Slack | 2021 | ||
| 11 | Jack Doyle | 2021–2022 | ||
| 12 | Guto Harri | 2022 | ||
| 13 | Adam Jones (political), Simon McGee (government)[3] | 2022 | Liz Truss | |
| 14 | Amber De Botton | 2022–2023 | Rishi Sunak | |
| 15 | Nerissa Chesterfield | 2023–2024 | ||
| 16 | Matthew Doyle | 2024– | Keir Starmer | |
In popular culture
editIn television series The Thick of It, the Downing Street director of communications was portrayed by actor Peter Capaldi playing the now infamous Malcolm Tucker.[9] Former special advisors (spads) and civil servants were called upon to make the series as close-to-reality as possible. In 2009, Capaldi stated "Malcolm Tucker is Alastair Campbell. But Mandelson is there, too."[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to Trussworld: Meet the new-look team in 10 Downing Street". POLITICO. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Liz Truss installs close allies in top cabinet jobs". Financial Times. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Who are the key people inside Labour's leadership team?". The Guardian. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Jones, George (17 June 2002). "Curb Campbell's powers over civil servants, says watchdog". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ Mason, Rowena; Asthana, Anushka (10 June 2017). "Theresa May's 'rude, abusive and childish' advisers face calls to quit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ Walker, Peter; Mason, Rowena (6 July 2017). "Theresa May hires BBC's Robbie Gibb as communications chief". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Lee Cain: Top Boris Johnson aide quits amid infighting at No 10". BBC News. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Sweney, Mark (12 July 2012). "The Thick of It to return with Leveson-style inquiry". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ Dee, Johnny (16 October 2009). "Peter Capaldi: Malcolm Tucker is Alastair Campbell. But Mandelson is in there, too". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 May 2019.