Special advisers in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
A special adviser works in a supporting role to the British government. With media, political or policy expertise, their duty is to assist and advise government ministers
.
and often particular ministers with whom they have a close relationship. For this reason, advisors may resign when a general election
is called to campaign on behalf of their party. Special advisers have sometimes been criticised for engaging in advocacy
while still on the government payroll or switching directly between lobbying roles
and the special adviser role.
The rules for their appointment, and status in relation to ministers, are set out in the Ministerial Code.
, James Purnell
, Ed Miliband
and David Miliband
, go on to become Members of Parliament or, like Lady Vadera, are given a peerage
in order that they may take up a ministerial post. A large number have also gone on to accept lucrative jobs in the private sector
. Other famous special advisers include former Director of Communications and Strategy Alastair Campbell
and Jo Moore
, who was embroiled in scandal while working as advisor to the Transport, Local Government and Regions Secretary
Stephen Byers
.
. The government had previously accepted calls, made in 2000 by the Neill Committee on Standards in Public Life, for such a legal cap. By 2002, however, the government had altered its position, saying in response to the Wicks Committee report on standards in public life that "the Government does not believe that the issue of special advisers can be considered as a numerical issue. The issue is about being transparent about accountability, roles and responsibilities and numbers". At the last full reporting the government had 68 such personnel in its employment, 18 of whom worked in 10 Downing Street
. Special advisors may be paid up to £142,668. Before his resignation Andy Coulson
was the highest paid special adviser with a salary of £140,000. The total cost of special advisers in 2006-07 was £5.9 million.
The Cabinet Office released a full list of special advisers as of 10 June 2010
at the Ministerial level, and figures like Malcolm Tucker (also of the Thick of It) seen operating at the apex of power, often overriding or manipulating Prime Ministers and other world leaders.
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
.
Role
Special advisers are paid by central government and are styled as so-called "temporary civil servants" appointed under Article 3 of the Civil Service Order in Council 1995. They contrast with "permanent" civil servants in the respect that they are political appointees whose loyalties are claimed by the governing partyPolitical party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
and often particular ministers with whom they have a close relationship. For this reason, advisors may resign when a general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
is called to campaign on behalf of their party. Special advisers have sometimes been criticised for engaging in advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
while still on the government payroll or switching directly between lobbying roles
Lobbying in the United Kingdom
Lobbying in the United Kingdom plays a significant role in the formation of legislation and a wide variety of commercial organisations, lobby groups 'lobby' for particular policies and decisions by Parliament and other political organs at state and local levels. It is also possible, but less...
and the special adviser role.
Code of conduct
Advisers are governed by a code of conduct which goes some way to defining their role and delineates relations with the permanent civil service, contact with the media and relationship with the governing party, inter alia:The rules for their appointment, and status in relation to ministers, are set out in the Ministerial Code.
Former special advisers
Some former special advisers, such as Ed BallsEd Balls
Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
, James Purnell
James Purnell
James Mark Dakin Purnell is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde from 2001 to 2010. He is currently the Head of the Open Left project at the left leaning think tank Demos...
, Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
and David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, go on to become Members of Parliament or, like Lady Vadera, are given a peerage
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
in order that they may take up a ministerial post. A large number have also gone on to accept lucrative jobs in the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
. Other famous special advisers include former Director of Communications and Strategy 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...
and Jo Moore
Jo Moore
Jo Moore served as a British special adviser and press officer . She was embroiled in scandal while working as advisor to Stephen Byers, the Transport, Local Government and Regions Secretary....
, who was embroiled in scandal while working as advisor to the Transport, Local Government and Regions Secretary
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
Stephen Byers
Stephen Byers
Stephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend...
.
Number and cost of special advisers
There is no legal limit on the number of special advisers, although the current total is less than it was under Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. The government had previously accepted calls, made in 2000 by the Neill Committee on Standards in Public Life, for such a legal cap. By 2002, however, the government had altered its position, saying in response to the Wicks Committee report on standards in public life that "the Government does not believe that the issue of special advisers can be considered as a numerical issue. The issue is about being transparent about accountability, roles and responsibilities and numbers". At the last full reporting the government had 68 such personnel in its employment, 18 of whom worked in 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
. Special advisors may be paid up to £142,668. Before his resignation Andy Coulson
Andy Coulson
Andrew Edward Coulson is an English journalist and political strategist.Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.He subsequently joined David Cameron's...
was the highest paid special adviser with a salary of £140,000. The total cost of special advisers in 2006-07 was £5.9 million.
Office of the Prime Minister
- Ed LlewellynEdward Llewellyn (Conservative advisor)Edward Llewellyn is a Conservative Party advisor to its Leader, David Cameron. He was at Eton College at the same time as the Conservative Leader, though not in the same year. Llewellyn left Eton in 1983 and shortly afterwards worked at Conservative Central Office, before going to Oxford where he...
- Chief of Staff - Kate Fall - Deputy Chief of Staff
- Steve HiltonSteve HiltonSteve Hilton is the director of strategy for David Cameron, Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom...
- Strategy - Maisie McCormack - Policy Chief
- Craig OliverCraig Oliver (media executive)Craig Stewart Oliver is a British news editor, producer and media executive, and the current Head of Communications for British Prime Minister David Cameron...
- Director of Communications - Gabby Bertin
- Tim Chatwin
- Polly Mackenzie
- Henry Macrory
- James O'Shaughnessy
- Liz Sugg
- Peter Campbell
- Sean Kemp
- Gavin Lockhart
- Michael Salter
- Rohan Silva
- Sean Worth
- James McGrory
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
- Lena Pietsch - Press and Media
- Jonny OatesJonny OatesJonathan "Jonny" Oates is Chief of Staff to Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg. He was previous the Director of Policy and Communications at the Liberal Democrats.-Career:...
- Chief of Staff - Richard ReevesRichard ReevesRichard Reeves is a writer, syndicated columnist and lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.-Career:...
- Alison Suttie
- Chris Saunders
First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- Arminka HelicArminka HelicArminka Helic is a Special Adviser and Chief of Staff to the British Foreign Secretary William Hague.The Daily Mail has described her as "Mr Hague's formidable £70,000-a-year special adviser and long-standing chief of staff", and as "Hague's 'blue-eyed Bosnian Muslim émigré'".-Background:Dr Helic...
- Denzel Davidson
- William Littlejohn
Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Rupert Harrison
- Eleanor Shawcross
- Ramesh Chhabra
- Poppy Mitchell-Rose
Secretary of State for Defence
- Luke CoffeyLuke CoffeyLuke Coffey is a political adviser and US Army veteran. Coffey formerly worked as a Special Adviser to the Rt. Hon Dr Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for Defence in the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs thinktank. -Education:Coffey...
- Oliver Waghorn
- Hayden Allan
The Cabinet Office released a full list of special advisers as of 10 June 2010
Office of the Prime Minister
- Dan CorryDan CorryDan Corry was the head of the Number 10 Policy Unit for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He was employed as a special adviser.-References:**...
- Head of Policy Unit - Gavin KellyGavin KellyGavin Kelly is an English former footballer, born in Beverley, who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Hull City, Bristol Rovers and Scarborough, and in the Hong Kong First Division League for Golden...
- Deputy Chief of Staff - David MuirDavid S. MuirDavid S Muir is a Scottish marketing and political communications professional. He was Director of Political Strategy for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown between 2008 and 2010.-Biography:...
- Director of Political Strategy - Sue NyeSue NyeSusan Jane Nye, Baroness Nye is the former Director of Government Relations and former diary secretary to ex-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown....
- Director of Government Relations - Justin Forsyth - adviser to the Prime Minister on political press issues
- Joe Irvin - Political Secretary to the Prime Minister
Other ministers
Gordon Brown released a full list of special advisers as of 22 November 2007.In fiction
Fiction set within the Westminster village frequently includes characters that are special advisors, such as Frank Weisel in Yes, Minister and Glen Cullen in The Thick Of ItThe Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
at the Ministerial level, and figures like Malcolm Tucker (also of the Thick of It) seen operating at the apex of power, often overriding or manipulating Prime Ministers and other world leaders.
External links
- Special advisers - House of Commons Library research note SN/PC/03813, Oonagh Gay, Last updated 26 November 2007
- Code of Conduct for Special Advisors, Cabinet OfficeCabinet OfficeThe Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
, accessed 10 March 2008 - Special Advisers - What are they?, accessed 10 March 2008, civilservant.org.uk
- Special Advisers at 16 July 2009 - Written Ministerial Statements, Commons Hansard, UK Parliament
- Special Advisers at 22 July 2008 - Written Ministerial Statements, Commons Hansard, UK Parliament
- Special Advisers at 22 November 2007 - Written Ministerial Statements, Commons Hansard, UK Parliament
- Special Advisers at 24 July 2006 - Written Ministerial Statements, Commons Hansard, UK Parliament
- Special Advisers at 21 July 2005 - Written Ministerial Statements, Commons Hansard, UK Parliament
- Special Advisers at 19 July 2004 - Written Ministerial Statements, Lords Hansard, UK Parliament