Amanda Platell
Encyclopedia
Amanda Jane Platell is a British
-based Australian journalist
, and from 1999 to 2001 was the press secretary to William Hague
, the then leader of the British Conservative Party
.
, after graduating with an Honours Degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Western Australia
, her first job was in 1978 when she joined the Perth Daily News.
tour of the world with her fiancee John Chenery, she arrived in London
in 1985. Aiming to earn enough money to return home, she worked as a freelance for publications including The Observer Magazine
and the Sunday Express.
Asked to join the start-up team of Today
, she then joined Robert Maxwell
's short-lived London Daily News
, before returning under Today editor David Montgomery
in 1987 as deputy editor. In 1993 she was appointed managing editor of Mirror Group, then moved in the same year to The Independent
, initially as marketing director and then managing director.
In 1996 she joined the Sunday Mirror
as acting editor, where she was the superior of Labour party's former director of communications, Alastair Campbell
. In 1998 she was appointed acting editor of the Sunday Express, a position she was sacked from by Rosie Boycott
following the publication of details of Peter Mandelson's
gay relationship with his Brazil
ian partner.
In 1999, Platell published a novel Scandal, which focused on women in the newspaper industry. "Two editors, one paper, may the best woman win" was how the cover summarised the plot.
. Michael Portillo
returned to parliament in 1999 and was subsequently admitted into the shadow cabinet as shadow Chancellor
in 2000. Portillo immediately asserted his authority on the post, reversing in an instant several years of Conservative opposition to the minimum wage
and independence for the Bank of England
. This move was the first step towards increasing acrimony between Hague and his shadow Chancellor and by the time of the 2001 general election
Platell was fighting a bitter battle with Portillo's supporters and later (after Hague had resigned) publicly endorsed Iain Duncan Smith
in opposition to Portillo.
Following the Labour party's second landslide victory in 2001, both Hague and Platell resigned from their posts. In July 2001 Unspun - Amanda Platell's Secret Diary was broadcast which had been recorded each night during the election campaign - the secret nature of this film meant she was attacked by many Conservatives for allegedly betraying the campaign.
programme Littlejohn
. She later co-hosted a series on Channel 4
with Piers Morgan
.
From 2002 she contributed as a freelancer to the Daily Mail
, and began a featured column in the New Statesman
magazine, mainly about the media. From 2007 Paul Dacre
appointed her to a permanent contract with the Daily Mail, presently through her column "Platell's People" which appears on Saturdays. She also contributes a column on Wednesdays to Guardian
, entitled a "Voice From the Right".
On November 21st, 2011, at the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the British press, Platell was accused by Hugh Grant
of a "hatchet job" on his recent fatherhood following an article she wrote for the Daily Mail
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based Australian journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and from 1999 to 2001 was the press secretary to William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, the then leader of the British Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Early life
The daughter of a journalist father who worked on The West AustralianThe West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
, after graduating with an Honours Degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, her first job was in 1978 when she joined the Perth Daily News.
Early British career
After starting out on a backpackingBackpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
tour of the world with her fiancee John Chenery, she arrived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1985. Aiming to earn enough money to return home, she worked as a freelance for publications including The Observer Magazine
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
and the Sunday Express.
Asked to join the start-up team of Today
Today (UK newspaper)
Today was a national newspaper in the United Kingdom, which was published between 1986 and 1995.-History:Today, with the American newspaper USA Today as inspiration, launched on Tuesday, 4 March 1986, with the front page headline, "Second Spy Inside GCHQ". At 18 pence, it was a middle-market...
, she then joined Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
's short-lived London Daily News
London Daily News
The London Daily News was a short-lived London newspaper owned by Robert Maxwell.-1987:The London Daily News was published from 24 February to 24 July 1987. It was intended to be a "24-hour" paper challenging the local dominance of the Evening Standard."For the city that never sleeps, the paper...
, before returning under Today editor David Montgomery
David Montgomery (newspaper executive)
David Montgomery is a British newspaper editor, executive, proprietor and media investor....
in 1987 as deputy editor. In 1993 she was appointed managing editor of Mirror Group, then moved in the same year to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, initially as marketing director and then managing director.
In 1996 she joined the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
as acting editor, where she was the superior of Labour party's former director of communications, Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell
Alastair John Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Director of Communications and Strategy for Prime Minister Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003, having first started working for Blair in 1994...
. In 1998 she was appointed acting editor of the Sunday Express, a position she was sacked from by Rosie Boycott
Rosie Boycott
Rosel Marie Boycott , better known as Rosie Boycott, is a British journalist and feminist.-Journalism career:Daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Boycott née Le Sueur, Rosel Boycott was born in St Helier, Jersey and was educated at the independent Cheltenham Ladies' College and read...
following the publication of details of Peter Mandelson's
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
gay relationship with his Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian partner.
In 1999, Platell published a novel Scandal, which focused on women in the newspaper industry. "Two editors, one paper, may the best woman win" was how the cover summarised the plot.
Conservative spin doctor
In 1999, Platell took the role of 'spin doctor' to William Hague. She sought to present Hague as a more mature and rounded character, even on one occasion writing one of his speeches with left-wing journalist Francis WheenFrancis Wheen
Francis James Baird Wheen is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster.-Early life and education:Wheen was born into an army family and educated at two independent schools: Copthorne Preparatory School near Crawley, West Sussex and Harrow School in north west London.-Life and career:Running...
. Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
returned to parliament in 1999 and was subsequently admitted into the shadow cabinet as shadow Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
in 2000. Portillo immediately asserted his authority on the post, reversing in an instant several years of Conservative opposition to the minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
and independence for the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
. This move was the first step towards increasing acrimony between Hague and his shadow Chancellor and by the time of the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
Platell was fighting a bitter battle with Portillo's supporters and later (after Hague had resigned) publicly endorsed Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
in opposition to Portillo.
Following the Labour party's second landslide victory in 2001, both Hague and Platell resigned from their posts. In July 2001 Unspun - Amanda Platell's Secret Diary was broadcast which had been recorded each night during the election campaign - the secret nature of this film meant she was attacked by many Conservatives for allegedly betraying the campaign.
Current media career
Platell returned to her media career, starting a television career through appearing both as a commentator and presenter on the Sky NewsSky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
programme Littlejohn
Richard Littlejohn
Richard William Littlejohn is an English author, broadcaster and journalist. He is noted for his Conservative views and currently writes a twice-weekly column for the Daily Mail....
. She later co-hosted a series on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
with Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan , known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children....
.
From 2002 she contributed as a freelancer to the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, and began a featured column in the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
magazine, mainly about the media. From 2007 Paul Dacre
Paul Dacre
Paul Michael Dacre is a British journalist and current editor of the British newspaper the Daily Mail. He is also editor in chief of the Mail group titles, which also includes The Mail on Sunday. He is also a director of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc and was a member of the Press Complaints...
appointed her to a permanent contract with the Daily Mail, presently through her column "Platell's People" which appears on Saturdays. She also contributes a column on Wednesdays to Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, entitled a "Voice From the Right".
On November 21st, 2011, at the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the British press, Platell was accused by Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
of a "hatchet job" on his recent fatherhood following an article she wrote for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.
Television
- Unspin: Amanda Platell's Secret Video Diary – Channel 4, 2001
- Morgan & Platell - Channel 4, 2004–2005
- Prime Ministers Spouses – Channel 4, 2005
- Crisis Command: Could You Run The Country?Crisis CommandCrisis Command — Could You Run the Country? was a 2004 BBC2 role-playing interactive drama documentary which was based on realistic scenarios and dramatised situations that Britain could face one day....
- BBC, 2004 - Bee in Your Bonnet - BBC Two, 2004
- How Euro Are You? - BBC, 2005
- Richard & JudyRichard & JudyRichard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
- Channel 4, 2001-2007 Regular Commentator - The Daily PoliticsThe Daily PoliticsThe Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
– BBC Two - Question TimeQuestion TimeQuestion time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
- BBC One, Panellist 1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. - The Apprentice, You're fired - a guest panellist - BBC2 2008, 2009, 2010
- The Andrew Marr Show (2005-)..... Herself - Regular Newspaper Reviewer
- The Alan Titchmarsh ShowThe Alan Titchmarsh ShowThe Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
(2007-)..... Herself - Occasional Discussion Contributor - This MorningThis Morning (TV series)This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
(2009—)..... Herself - Occasional Newspaper Reviewer
External links
- "Amanda Platell: Nobody's fool" profile at BBC
- "The Fern Britton gastric band furore" The Fern Britton gastric band furore