Labour consultants set up group to help party
Senior Labour public affairs consultants have formed a new group to provide unofficial communications advice to the party.
The fledgling grouping has been set up by Simon Redfern, partner at Pagefield and chair of Walthamstow Labour Party.
Around a dozen senior agency professionals and in-house heads of public affairs are said to be on board.
The yet-to-be-named group has not been sanctioned by the Labour leadership, but the party’s general secretary Iain McNicol and deputy chairman Tom Watson have been made aware of it.
Redfern said: “It is really a collection of senior comms people who are members of the party and want to help the party in terms of their comms - if that help is sought.”
Last year, Tory public affairs operators set up Conservatives in Communications, while the Liberal Democrats currently have Lib Dems in PR. In the late 1980s, Labour set up a shadow communications group, but in recent years it has lacked a similar grouping.
Meanwhile, a number of senior public affairs consultants are believed to be in contention for the new £66,000-a-year Labour executive comms director post.
Interviews are expected to take place later this month, with consultants, journalists and existing party operatives all believed to have applied.
6th February 2012 by
