The Conservatives’ PPC for Yeovil, Kevin Davis, has launched a public affairs consultancy named Cratus, after the Greek god of strength.
Davis told PAN that clients of his new venture already include National Grid Property, the London Development Agency, CNM Estates, Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation, teen-pregnancy charity Straight Talking and the Centre for Accessible Environments.
Cratus is based in Kingston-upon-Thames and is being run by Davis with Nick Kilby, a fellow Tory councillor who is ex-Indigo Public Affairs. They have just hired Ben Sherreard, a Tory councillor in Maidstone who is ex-Weber Shandwick, while Cratus also has Labour- and Lib Dem-following associates.
Davis has a background in charities and told PAN: “Smaller charities don’t spend enough time networking with local and national politicians, often relying on their CEOs to do it, because they haven’t got the resources.”
Davis fought the Lib Dem-held seat of Kingston & Surbiton at the 2005 election. He needs a swing of more than eight per cent to win
Yeovil, which is currently held by Lib Dem MP David Laws.
*** The Conservatives’ PPC for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, has joined the consultancy PLMR as an associate director, working two days a week.
The managing director of Clapham-based PLMR, Kevin Craig, is himself a Labour PPC in South Suffolk.
Burns ran for the Tories in Eastleigh in the 2001 and 2005 general elections. He stands an excellent chance of making it third time lucky in his bid to become an MP, as Bournemouth West has a national Tory majority of 2,608 – incumbent MP Sir John Butterfill is standing down.
Burns, a former Tory councillor on Southampton City Council, has previously worked for political monitoring firm DeHavilland.
Former Lib Dems comms director Olly Grender MBE also works with PLMR for three days each week (PAN, Apr). Craig told PAN: “Conor’s experience with DeHavilland will be a real boost to help us develop our monitoring services, and Olly’s media nous is second to none.”
PPCs: PEOPLE MOVES - EXTRA
Other PPCs recently on the move in communications/public affairs:
*** Chris Heaton-Harris: the Tories’ PPC in Daventry recently joined Fleishman-Hillard as a part-time consultant; he was an MEP from 1999 until June this year (he decided not to stand in May’s EP elections after being selected as PPC for Daventry)
*** Antony Calvert: the Tories’ PPC in Morley and Outwood recently left his account manager role at Green Issues Communications
*** Andrew Dakers: the Lib Dems’ PPC in Brentford & Isleworth last month departed his PA manager role at Business in the Community (BitC) to become an independent consultant on PA/corporate responsibility
*** Munira Wilson: the Lib Dems’ PPC in Feltham & Heston recently left her press and PA manager role at Beating Bowel Cancer (BBC) to take a government and corporate affairs manager job with a global pharma company; at BBC she has been replaced by Dave Ward, previously of Guide Dogs
*** See news story on website titled "‘Get Elected’ aims to help PPCs"; also, ‘MPs in our midst?’, part four of our ‘Lobbyists and Parliament’ series, can be found on pp22-24 of the August edition of Public Affairs News - and also in the 'Features' section of this website
