Prime minister Theresa May has named her first tranche of special adviser appointments, with two former Home Office stalwarts coming in as joint chiefs of staff.
One-time Sky News reporter Fiona Hill – formerly Fiona Cunningham – was a May spad at the Home Office until her departure in 2014. She now returns with Nick Timothy for the joint role.
Timothy, who grew up in Birmingham, also served as a Spad to May in the Home Office and is thought to have authored the heavily social justice-tinged speech she delivered in in his home town at the start of this week.
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Other Spad appointments announced by Downing Street include John Godfrey as director of policy; Katie Perrior as director of communications; Lizzie Loudon as press secretary; and Liz Sanderson as head of features.
Trade title PR Week identified Godfrey as a former corporate affairs director at investment giant Legal & General.
Perrior was senior media adviser to David Davis when he was shadow home secretary, and subsequently ran the public relations campaign for Boris Johnson’s 2008 campaign to become mayor of London, as well as his successful 2012 bid for a second term in office.
Loudon is a former special advisor to ex-secretary of state for work and pensions Iain Duncan Smith. Sanderson previously served as an adviser to May at the Home Office.
A statement from Downing Street said further appointments would be “confirmed in due course”.