Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell (born May 25, 1957) was the Director of Communications and Strategy for 10 Downing Street.
While political editor of The Daily Mirror he was a close advisor of Neil Kinnock. After Tony Blair became leader of the opposition, Campbell left the newspaper to become his spokesman.
When Blair became Prime Minister in 1997, Campbell became his chief press secretary and in charge of the government's press machine.
As the New Labour government found its feet, Blair became increasingly reliant like many prime ministers on a close circle of advisers. Campbell was seen as particularly influential, sometime being referred to as the "real Deputy Prime Minister". His influence was certainly greater than his new job title ("Prime Minister's Director of Communications and Strategy") suggested: uniquely for a special advisor (i.e., a personal appointee of the Prime Minister), he was given the authority to direct Civil Servants, who previously had taken instructions only from ministers. Campbell's control of the Lobby System under which a select group of accredited journalists were given privileged access to the Prime Minister's spokesman (and the journalistic kudos that this access could bring) meant that he wielded a good deal of power over the media. In Blair's second term the increasing marginalisation of junior ministers, backbench MPs and grassroots Labour Party from the policy making process meant that Campbell was sometimes regarded with suspicion (if not outright hostility) by elements Labour Party, as well as the amongst Blair's political opponents. However, those who worked closely with him describe an aggressive but funny and loyal colleague, who inspired loyalty in others. He was memorably sponsored by the US President George W. Bush to complete a marathon in aid of a cancer charity.
In June 2003 he was a central figure in the "dodgy dossier" controversy. Campbell had been in charge of a group of researchers who compiled a dossier about Human Rights abuses in Saddam Hussain's Iraq. The dossier purported to be based on intelligence but was in fact largely borrowed from an out of date article downloaded from the web. The source was not acknowledged an the dossier was published without MI6 clearance.
A few months later he became embroiled in further controversy after the BBC reported Andrew Gilligan broadcast claims that the government had "sexed up" an earlier dossier (about about Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction). In a later newspaper article Gilligan said that his source had specifically identified Campbell himself as responsible for the alleged exaggerations. Campbell demanded an apology from the BBC, but none was forthcoming. In the ensuing row, the BBC's secret source David Kelly came forward to his employers the Ministry of Defence. Unusually, the government released Kelly's identity to the media. Kelly committed suicide shortly afterward and the judicial inquiry into the circumstances of his death pushed Campbell further into the limelight. The Inquiry showed that Campbell had been working closely with the Intelligence Services, and made suggestions about the wording of the dossier. He had also been keen that Kelly's identity be made public writing in his diary "It would f*** Gilligan if that were his source". However, Lord Hutton cleared Campbell of any serious impropriety, on the basis that Campbell's suggestions had (this time) been cleared by the Intelligence Services, and that Kelly's name was made public not out of political expediency, but avoid allegations of a cover-up.
Having "become the story", on 29 August 2003 he announced his resignation from 10 Downing Street. He kept a diary throughout his time in Downing Street the manuscript is rumoured to be worth up to £5m.