Prime Minister Tony Blair's communications chief Alastair Campbell has resigned

Reuters ^ | 08-29-03

[Brian S]

Alastair Campbell to resign

Alastair Campbell is to resign as the Government's director of communications and strategy, Downing Street has announced.

No date has been set for his departure and his successor has not been named, No 10 said.

Mr Campbell said: "It has been an enormous privilege to work so closely in opposition and in Government for someone I believe history will judge as a great transforming Prime Minister."

In his resignation statement, he said his family had paid a price for his role and said his partner, Fiona Millar, would be leaving No 10 at the same time "in a few weeks".

Mr Campbell said he did not want to take on "another big job" but hoped to write, broadcast and make speeches.

[Pikamax]

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1031837,00.html


2.45pm update

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Campbell announces resignation

Matthew Tempest, political correspondent
Friday August 29, 2003

Alastair Campbell has announced he is to leave his Downing Street job in a shock move mid-way through the Hutton inquiry.
Despite early indications that Tony Blair's director of communications would be exonerated by the judicial inquiry, it was always suspected he would leave the government after the affair.

Mr Campbell said: "It has been an enormous privilege to work so closely in opposition and in government for someone I believe history will judge as a great transforming prime minister."

So far Mr Campbell's version of events - that he did not "sex up" the September dossier cataloguing Iraq's alleged WMD programmes - has been backed up by John Scarlett, the head of the joint intelligence committee.

That makes it more likely that Mr Campbell may be exonerated in his war with the BBC over the controversial story by the BBC's Andrew Gilligan - as he was by the foreign affairs select committee, albeit on a split vote with a Labour majority.

However, the former political editor of the Daily Mirror - who joined Tony Blair's staff after he became Labour leader in 1994 - has become the centre of criticism about the government's preoccupation with spin and media presentation for at least the past three years.

Indeed, he allowed a BBC documentary by Michael Cockrell to film him in action, briefing the lobby and advising the prime minister, in 2000.

After that, and before the 2001 general election, he opted to take a behind the scenes role as the government's director of communications, whilst two other spokesmen did the twice-daily lobby briefings.

A hardened political bruiser - and close ally of Neil Kinnock while he was still a journalist - Mr Campbell was often seen as the "dark side" of the more charming Mr Blair in a "good cop/bad cop" routine. He softened his favourite adjective for stories he believed to be inaccurate from "bollocks" to "garbage" for the benefit of the TV cameras.

An original part of the New Labour project - along with Peter Mandelson and Gordon Brown - his departure leaves room for speculation about both his next job, and his famous diaries.

Although Mr Campbell told Lord Hutton he kept a diary as an aide-memoire and it was "not intended for publication", most Westminster insiders predict it will be his pension, commanding a publishing deal of around £1m.

More recently Mr Cambpell hit the headlines for non-political reasons, when he ran the London marathon in aid of Leukemia research, a disease which killed one of his best friends.

[eyespysomething]

has become the centre of criticism about the government's preoccupation with spin and media presentation for at least the past three years.

So, they are hounded by media, and then are called pre-occupied with it. If so much time wasn't wasted defending oneself against daily mud slinging charges, maybe it wouldn't be a "preoccupation."

[Brian S]

Thanks for the details...

[BlackbirdSST]

Needs some quality time with his Family no doubt. Beats arkanside! Blackbird.

[steve50]

He's not out of the woods yet. Kelly would be alive if he hadn't given cover to Blair to keep his job. Campbell is on the record, the smart thing to do would be to make sure the record doesn't change.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I added this to breaking. I's on Yahoo!'s front page so it must be important.

[sarasota]

Probably the result of death threats.

[concerned about politics]

In his resignation statement, he said his family had paid a price for his role and said his partner, Fiona Millar, would be leaving No 10 at the same time "in a few weeks".

Satan has been cast down to earth having great furry, for he knows he has but little time. The Socialist liberal minions have been gnawing at their flesh.

[concerned about politics]

So, they are hounded by media, and then are called pre-occupied with it. If so much time wasn't wasted defending oneself against daily mud slinging charges, maybe it wouldn't be a "preoccupation."

The BBC is CNN's black mirror image.

[John_11_25]

It is Tony Blair that should resign and he still might have too.

Campbell is just trying to take away some of the heavy pressure on TB. I am sure he advised TB to accept the responsibility for the naming of Kelly, without actually stating he gave the order to do so. Very Smart

Blair, should go and the blood hounds should go for the jugular, as the prey is weak. Why would he resign at such a difficult hour. It makes it look like, he felt he had to resign, ashe had did something wrong.

The speech he made, was well reheared and the way TB spoke about him, he either loves him to death, or is scared to death if he does not say nice things Campbell will end up writing a best seller, Naming TB as the "every thing to everyone" PM, while the real TB in the backround is an evil conniving, egotistical SOB.

Let History be our judge were the words used before the war, they may come back to haunt him.

[concerned about politics]

It is Tony Blair that should resign and he still might have too............. Let History be our judge were the words used before the war, they may come back to haunt him.

Or make him the mightiest among men. In my opinion, he'll be known as a great, great man someday. Maybe a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
It's hard to hold demonic spin against a rightous man.

[Pikamax]

Actually, this is the perfect time to resign, BBC case against him blew up in their face, he didn't lie about the dossier or had anything to do with the 45 min claim.



Campbell plans return to journalism

Julia Day
Friday August 29, 2003

Alastair Campbell wants to return to journalism when he leaves his Downing Street job and plans to write and broadcast on a "variety of different things" including politics and sport.

The former Mirror journalist said he wanted to return to writing as a freelance journalist.

"I do not at this stage want to take on another big job as such, but instead for a while hope to do a variety of different things, for example writing, broadcasting, making speeches about the issues that interest and concern me, and on which I have something to say," said Mr Campbell.

"I am keen to write not just about politics but other areas of our national life, such as sport. I also want to get more involved in grassroots sports development."

Mr Campbell's keenness to express his opinions on a variety of topics, including his unrivalled insight into the world of Westminster, will have newspapers and broadcasters fighting to sign him up as a columnist or commentator.

And, after running the London marathon in April to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund, he said he wanted to devote more time and effort to the charity.

Leukaemia has claimed the lives of several people close to Mr Campbell.

He added: "And of course, politics having been a passion of my life, I will maintain a close interest in it and I will continue to help the political causes I believe in any way I can."

Lord Tim Bell, who was Margaret Thatcher's communications adviser, said Mr Campbell was talented enough to go on to have a "glittering" career in whatever he chooses to do.

"I should think he'll have a glittering career. He will do what he wants to do, he's a very talented guy and a very tough guy," he said.

Mr Campbell said he had decided to leave Downing Street in summer 2002 but was persuaded by the prime minister to stay in his job to help with the Iraq situation.

But on April 7 this year he agreed with Mr Blair that he would definitely leave this summer, and has handed in his notice to the prime minister.


http://media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/story/0,7494,1031888,00.html

[John_11_25]

"It's hard to hold demonic spin against a rightous man."

Do Not be Fooled by the Spin.

GWB may be a man of his convictions, and fighting for a cause he believes in, however TB is running at the coat tails of GWB, looking for a piece of the Glory.

Well the Iraq mess that we are in, is not quite what TB was looking for in the way of Glory, and the Kelly incident just rounded off a bad quarter.

He will never never win the next election. The British People do not trust him any more. They do not want the euro and they did not want to go to Iraq and now they think he is guilty of killing a good christian man, just to hide a lie....

[pau1f0rd]

He will never never win the next election. The British People do not trust him any more

Of course, I hope he doesn't but if he runs, he'll win. The 'don't trust Blair' slogan is Tory spin picked up by the liberal left media (what strange times we live in). There's noone to match him in British politics. I'm just thankful he hasn't done even more harm with the power he has, and has actually done a lot of good too.

[concerned about politics]

Of course, I hope he doesn't but if he runs, he'll win.

It looks like someone watches too much left wing BBC TV, aye?
"Back away from the tv....find a good book."

[pau1f0rd]

It looks like someone watches too much left wing BBC TV, aye?

Tell me who you think stands a chance in an election against Blair? Maybe Gordon Brown, but that hardly helps the Conservative cause. I despise the BBC, despite being forced to help fund it, so I can assure you I don't watch 'too much' of it!