The BBC has recruited a new Director of Policy and Public Affairs to help them strive towards independent and impartial coverage. Naturally, it’s the former spokesman for Gordon Brown…
The new hire, Iain Bundred, worked for Labour as researcher and then a senior press officer five years, before working his way up the rank to become a SpAd to James Purnell when he was Work and Pensions Secretary from 2008 to 2009. He then went on to be Prime Minister Brown’s political spokesman for his last year in office…
Whilst working for Oligvy, Bundred continued to provide his counsel to Labour, writing a piece on how the party should market itself in the 2015 election campaign, including how to “get easy hits with digital campaigns or seek news coverage for ‘election adverts under consideration'”. He also said Labour should “ditch clever in-jokes about the Westminster village”. Sound advice…
While he was UK head of public policy at YouTube, Bundred lamented on X that he was “gutted not to be able to work with Thangam [Debbonaire] in government. She brought such joy to her role” after she lost her seat in the election. No need to air more Labour activists when one of their own already was one…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”