The Secret Life of Special Advisers

By: Peter Cardwell

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Synopsis: Special advisers are a key part of the government, yet who they are and what they do is much misunderstood. Key advisers to Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister since the 1970s, their role is shrouded in mystery, despite acres of newsprint devoted to particularly high-profile members of the cohort, such as Alastair Campbell and Dominic Cummings. Peter Cardwell’s book lifts the lid on the people Piers Morgan called ‘these miserable little creatures’, revealing who spads are, how Cabinet ministers use and interact with them, how much influence they have and how they deal with the civil service. Featuring numerous anecdotes and sometimes almost unbelievable stories about what actually happens in a spad’s daily life – from dealing with counter-terror emergencies in COBRA to explaining what a dental dam is to the Justice Secretary, to having your inside leg measured in a Minister of the Crown’s office – this book has it all. Part history, part how-to (and how-not-to) guide and part insider account drawing on the author’s own experiences – particularly in the Cameron, May and early months of the Johnson administrations – The Secret Life of Spads will inform and entertain anyone who has ever wondered what these shadowy figures really do all day.