unicornnews: Comms role for Mandelson?

So, Peter Mandelson is set to return to government for the third time, this time as Business Secretary. This is interesting to the communications industry because, while Mandelson will officially head up Gordon Brown’s wider business strategy, the chatter in Whitehall is that the former New Labour architect has been primarily brought back into the centre of British politics so he can advise on communications strategy.

The fact that the government’s chief media man Damian McBride has been moved to a new role only adds fuel to the rumours that Brown is hoping to reinvigorate his communication efforts, which have been much criticised in recent months, by utilising some of the ‘spin-chiefs’ who played a big role in reinventing the image of Labour back in the early nineties.

Another nineties Labour adviser, and former adviser for Manselson himself, Derek Draper, who has recently started working for the party again, told PR Week of his former employer’s return to government: “I think Peter will prove to be a pretty formidable secretary of state, a really brilliant contributor to the strategy of the government and the presentation of the government”.

Posted Monday October 6 2008 by Chris Cooke

Related categories: Political Communications