"Tim Allan, ex-Blair aide and ‘smoother,’ returns to Downing Street"

Tim Allan Returns to Downing Street as Starmer Seeks Communications Overhaul

Tim Allan once admitted that during Tony Blair’s time in office, it was an error that strategists handling media relations became the focus of attention.

Now, more than 25 years later, he is returning to Downing Street at Keir Starmer’s request, aiming to avoid the fate of many political communications chiefs—from Alastair Campbell and Steve Hilton to Fiona Hill and Dominic Cummings—who have often dominated headlines in unwelcome ways.

A former deputy press secretary under Blair, Allan is described by colleagues as polished and exceptionally well-connected. However, he faces the challenge of improving Downing Street’s struggling public outreach efforts, which have found it difficult to counter Nigel Farage’s loud populism.

His appointment has also drawn scrutiny due to his past work. Some in No. 10 opposed his selection because his former firm, Portland, was involved in efforts to improve the Kremlin’s public standing.

Further controversy may arise from his previous role as a trustee for the gender-critical organization Sex Matters, a position he stepped down from to take the new job. The LGBTQ+ advocacy group Stonewall recently wrote to Starmer, expressing concerns about Allan’s affiliation and whether Sex Matters might gain undue influence in policy decisions. An associate of Allan clarified that ministers, not the communications director, would determine policy.

Allan, 55, is seen by those who have worked with him as someone capable of withstanding criticism and focusing on his role: providing strategic guidance on public engagement, much like another former Blair aide, Jonathan Powell, has done on foreign policy.

Allan has deep ties to Labour, having been part of the same influential New Labour circles as ex-ministers David Miliband and James Purnell in the 1990s. Prominent party figures noted that his annual Christmas gathering had long been a must-attend event for Labour’s political figures.

A 1994 CuriosityNews piece described Allan, alongside Alastair Campbell, as one of “Tony’s polished assistants: sharp, media-savvy Oxbridge graduates in their thirties.” In reality, Allan was only 24 at the time, having joined Blair’s team after working on Channel 4’s *Week in Politics*. From 1994 to 1998, he served as deputy press secretary under Campbell and even led No. 10’s football team.

Though well-regarded in the role, he left Downing Street after just a year to advise Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB, sparking debate in Parliament over the close ties between government and media.

Later, while still advising BSkyB, Allan wrote an article for *The Spectator* criticizing the BBC’s sway over Downing Street, calling it a “highly inefficient system that benefits the wealthy” and arguing against its further expansion.

He later established Portland, a corporate affairs firm.