Alastair Campbell
Alistair Campbell (b. 1957 in Yorkshire) was the Director of Communication and Strategy for the Blair government between 1997 and 2003.
Life and Career in Politics
Alistair Campbell read Modern Languages at the University of Cambridge from 1975 to 1979. Gathering first journalistic experience during a stay abround in France, he entered professional journalism after he had completed his degree. He trained with the Mirror Group local papers before the Mirror itself in 1982. He later left Mirror to become news editor of Today newspaper until he had a nervous breakdown, an event which is said to have had enormous on his further work. He then returned to his former employer where he become a political editor and columnist.
When Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party in 1994 he asked Mr Campbell to become his press secretary. He accepted Blair's offer, doing the job for the nest three years and contributing significantly to the creation of New Labour and Labour Party coming back to power in the 1997 general elections.
After the success in the 1997 elections Alistair Campbell was made Chief Press Secretary and Official Spokesman of the government. He co-ordinated the Government communications which also included briefings of the press twice a day. After the 2001 general elections he became Director of Communications and Strategy, a position he resigned from in 2003.