Alastair Campbell, the high-profile U.K. pro who shaped the image of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, has landed at Portland, the London PR firm of former Blair aide Tim Allan.
The Daily Mail, which dubbed Campbell "Blair's rottweiler," reported May 24 that Campbell is working two days a week advising clients on corporate communications and crisis management. The firm’s roster includes Facebook, McDonald’s and Virgin Media.
The firm’s website lists him as a member of its advisory board who joined this month in a “senior part-time role.”
“I have had plenty of offers since I left Downing Street to join PR consultancies or go in-house,” he said in a blog post on the Portland website. “It was not something I ever thought, to be honest, that I would do. … A great deal of nonsense is talked about spin. It is not just legitimate for businesses to consider strategic communications but essential. It can often be the difference between success and failure. It is also something where we have developed real expertise in this country.”
Campbell, who resigned as Blair’s communications director in late 2003 amid inquiries about the U.K.’s push for war with Iraq, was among 15 parties who settled hacking suits against News Corp. in February.
Campbell is a prolific blogger at alastaircampbell.org and his published diaries of his Blair years were best-sellers in the U.K.