Amanda Jane Platell (born 12 November 1957, Perth, Western Australia) is a journalist, now based in London, and the former press secretary of William Hague, leader of the British Conservative Party from 1997 to 2001.
Platell has worked at the Daily Mirror, where she was the superior of Labour party's former director of communications, Alastair Campbell. Later, she edited the Sunday Express. She was sacked from this post following the publication ...
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Amanda Jane Platell (born 12 November 1957, Perth, Western Australia) is a journalist, now based in London, and the former press secretary of William Hague, leader of the British Conservative Party from 1997 to 2001.
Platell has worked at the Daily Mirror, where she was the superior of Labour party's former director of communications, Alastair Campbell. Later, she edited the Sunday Express. She was sacked from this post following the publication of details of Peter Mandelson's gay relationship with his Brazilian partner. Despite having previously claimed to be a supporter of the Labour Party she took the role of 'spin doctor' to Hague in 1999. She sought to present Hague as a more mature and rounded character, even on one occasion writing one of his speeches with left-wing journalist Francis Wheen.
Michael Portillo returned to parliament in 1999 and was subsequently admitted into the shadow cabinet as shadow Chancellor in 2000. Portillo immediately asserted his authority on the post,...
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