The inventor of spin returns to No 10
Peter Mandelson is set to fill the void at Downing Street left by Alastair Campbell, the PM’s director of communications who resigned last month.
David Hill, the No 10’s director of communications, is to imminently take up the vacant post. But the job is without the brief on party strategy. Cue Mandelson.
The controversial former Cabinet minister will lead weekly planning meetings at No 10, The Telegraph reports today.
The twice resigned Cabinet minister (Trade ad Industry and Northern Ireland) is credited with inventing and orchestrating Labour’s now much maligned “spin machine.”
The MP for Hartlepool, unofficially, has the brief to develop strategy and policy ideas, ahead of the publication of Labour’s next party manifesto, according to the broadsheet.
The story comes amid rumours from the Daily Mail that Mr Blair has agreed to let Mr Mandelson take over from Neil Kinnock as a European Commissioner in Brussels.
However, insiders have asserted that the PM has “given no thought” to the plan.
The paper quoted an unnamed European Commission source: “Mr Mandelson is known to be close to the prime minister and appointing his closest political ally will send an important signal about Mr Blair’s determination to put Britain at the heart of Europe.”
Mr Kinnock’s term of office ends next year.
