Does Penny Mordaunt’s super rich PR guru want to be the Tory party’s Alastair Campbell?
- Friends of Chris Lewis say he could run communications operations at Downing Street
- The experienced PR strategist is tasked with managing her campaign for a top job
- This week, Mordaunt starred at a party thrown by his charitable foundation
Miss Mordaunt’s millionaire PR guru Chris Lewis is entered as “Alastair Campbell of the”. Tory party’, it has been claimed.
Friends of Mr Lewis suggested he could take the helm Downing St‘s communication operation when she wins the race for the lead.
The experienced PR strategist is supposed to direct her campaign for the top job, “if not drive it forward,” said one.
Mr Lewis, pictured, is a passionate Remainer who co-authored a political book with Miss Mordaunt, a Brexiteer, last year.
Friends of PR guru Chris Lewis (pictured) have suggested he could take the helm of Downing Street’s communications department if Penny Mordaunt wins the race for the Conservative leadership
Earlier this week she was the star attraction at a summer party hosted by Mr Lewis’ charitable foundation.
The Team Lewis Foundation carnival in Westminster Abbey’s College Garden – which is estimated to have cost £50,000 – featured actors dressed as Paddington and Peter Rabbit mingling with 400 guests.
A friend of Mr Lewis, a married father of two, said: “He’s quite a character; a renegade with a penchant for motorcycles and drums, and he’s a tough disciplinarian who expects results. He can be quite moody, sometimes exploding and then calming down very quickly.
The veteran PR strategist is set to direct, “if not drive,” Mordaunt’s campaign for the top job, said one
“He’s helping run Penny’s campaign quite a bit at the moment, if not when he’s not fully driving her, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up running her communications at Downing Street if she wins.”
Another friend told The Daily Telegraph: “He… might just want to be the equivalent of Alastair Campbell from the Tory party. He’s made a lot of money – now would be the perfect time to start making a name for himself.”
Mr Campbell was Tony Blair’s spin doctor whose notoriously aggressive style spawned the character of Malcolm Tucker on the BBC comedy series The Thick Of It.
Neither Mr Lewis nor Miss Mordaunt, who has denied he is funding her campaign, commented yesterday.
