Jack Doyle CBE is a British journalist who served as Downing Street Director of Communications from April 2021 to February 2022.
Jack Doyle | |
|---|---|
| Downing Street Director of Communications | |
| In office 16 April 2021 – 3 February 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | James Slack |
| Succeeded by | Guto Harri |
| Personal details | |
| Children | 2 |
Biography
editThe son of a policeman,[1] Doyle was formerly a home affairs correspondent at the Press Association. He held the same position at the Daily Mail from 2010,[2] where he was a leader writer under the editorships of Paul Dacre and Geordie Greig. He left the role of the Daily Mail's associate editor (politics)[3] to become a press secretary at Downing Street in 2020.[1] He was Downing Street Deputy Director of Communications. On 16 April 2021, it was announced to staff in Downing Street that he had been appointed to the post of director of communications. He succeeded James Slack,[4] who became deputy editor of The Sun.[4]
It was reported that Doyle had vetoed plans favoured by Allegra Stratton for daily televised press briefings to be held.[1] On 23 April 2021, he was accused by Dominic Cummings of making "a number of false accusations to media" about Cummings on behalf of the prime minister, Boris Johnson.[5][6]
On 19 November 2021, Doyle was identified as the man who called Matt Kelly, founder and editor of The New European, to tell Kelly that Johnson was going to sue for defamation, pertaining to an article quoting Johnson as saying he had "buyer's remorse" regarding his relationship with Carrie Johnson. Downing Street denied that Johnson had said this but also denied that Doyle said Johnson would sue over the article.[7][8]
Doyle has two children.[9]
Downing Street parties
editAccording to journalists investigating several alleged breaches of coronavirus restrictions at Westminster in 2020, Doyle attended a 10 Downing Street party on 18 December 2020, even taking up the role of handing out awards at the function.[10] On 8 December 2021, Johnson told MPs that he had been repeatedly assured that there was "no party and that no COVID-19 rules were broken". Johnson's "purported assurance" that no rules had been broken came from Doyle and was developed as a "line to take" with the media.[11] On 10 December 2021, it was reported that Doyle had offered his resignation, but that Johnson had refused to accept it; this account was rejected by the prime minister's office.[12]
Doyle resigned from his position as Downing Street director of communications on 3 February 2022.[13] He said that "recent weeks have taken a terrible toll on my family life", but that he had intended to leave Downing Street after two years.[14]
After Downing Street
editIn 2022, it was reported Doyle joined PR firm Headland.[15]
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours for political and public service.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ a b c Sawer, Patrick (24 April 2021). "Old and new: Who's who in Boris Johnson's inner circle". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Doyle leaves PA to join Daily Mail". ResponseSource. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Wickham, Alex (25 January 2020). "Boris Johnson Is Set To Hire A Senior Daily Mail Journalist As His New Press Secretary". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ a b Swinford, Steven [@Steven_Swinford] (16 April 2021). "Boris Johnson has appointed Jack Doyle as director of comms, it was announced to staff tonight" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 April 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Rodger, Hannah (23 April 2021). "Dominic Cummings hits back after Downing Street blames ex-aide for Dyson leak". The Herald. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Cummings lashes out at Johnson over leak allegations". The Northern Echo. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Richards, Xander (19 November 2021). "'We have the texts': Newspaper responds to No10 denial of Boris Johnson's 'threat to sue'". The National. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sue The New European over "buyer's remorse" article". The New European. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Bancroft, Holly (10 December 2021). "Who is Jack Doyle? No 10 press advisor who gave out awards at Christmas party". The Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Boris Johnson's press chief spoke at No 10 party last year". BBC News. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "The partygate inquiry: The key questions facing Boris Johnson". Express & Star. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Stephens, Daisy (10 December 2021). "PM 'refused to accept resignation' from top aide who reportedly spoke at No10 Xmas party". LBC. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Steerpike (3 February 2022). "Now Boris's press chief quits too". The Spectator. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Swinford, Steven; Wright, Oliver; Zeffman, Henry (3 February 2022). "Crisis for Boris Johnson as four aides quit in one day". The Times. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Reporter, City A. M. (18 July 2022). "Ex-No. 10 comms chief Jack Doyle heads for Square Mile PR firm". CityAM. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ "Resignation Honours 2023" (PDF). GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14503.
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