Alastair Campbell

About Alastair Campbell

Alastair Campbell was born in 1957 in Yorkshire, the son of a veterinarian. His family moved to Leicester in 1968, where he attended school until he went to the University of Cambridge in 1975. Four years later, he graduated with a degree in modern languages. His university education included a year in France, where he published his first “journalism” articles about sex in Forum magazine. He also played on the streets around the world with his bagpipes. Ultimately, he decided to become a journalist and trained at the Mirror Group on local newspapers in the West Country before joining the Mirror newspaper in 1982. He left the paper in the mid-1980s to work as news editor for Eddy Shah’s Today newspaper but suffered a nervous breakdown and returned to the Mirror after his recovery. He rose to become political editor and the newspaper’s chief political columnist. He then worked briefly for Today under new ownership in 1994 before Tony Blair asked him to become his press secretary when Mr. Blair became leader of the Labour Party. He did this for three years and played a key role in helping to create New Labour and bringing the Party back to power.

After the 1997 elections, he became the Chief Press Secretary to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson, which involved coordinating the government’s communications and conducting press briefings twice a day. He held this position during Labour’s first term, but after helping Mr. Blair achieve a second overwhelming election victory, he became Director of Communications and Strategy. He did this until he resigned in September 2003, stating that it was a huge honor but that he wanted to enjoy more of life with his partner Fiona and their three children.

Since his resignation, he has spent his time giving speeches, writing, working for his charity as chair of fundraising, and continues to informally advise the Prime Minister. He returned to the Labour Party six months before the general election in 2005. He has presented a series of TV interviews for Channel Five, featuring subjects including President Clinton, Peter Mandelson, Bono, and American cyclist Lance Armstrong. He also writes about sports for The Times, the Irish Times, and Esquire magazine.

During his time in Downing Street, he was involved in all major policy issues and international crises. He has stated that in ten years in the media, and a decade in politics, he has seen his respect for the media diminish and his respect for politics increase. He is a sought-after speaker at events around the world, specializing in strategic communication. On July 9, 2007, he published his first book about his time with Tony Blair, “The Blair Years”.