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Four ministers exert the most influence on the leader's inner circle.

 The key members of the CCHQ operation sit around 'The Pod' at the heart of the War Room. The 'Pod Team' are Tim Chatwin, ,  , Stephen Gilbert, Henry Macrory, James O'Shaughnessy  MP as Shadow Chancellor and Election Coordinator and . is the most powerful member of 's frontbench team. He takes most of the big decisions with David Cameron. Michael Spencer is Party Treasurer and responsible for keeping the MP is consulted on all major judgments. TwhheolIemdpalye-mtoe-dnatyatmioanchTineeamfunhdeeadd. eSdtabnyleyFrFainkciiss DMeapuudtyeTMrePasaunrderNaincdk MP does not just coordinate policy development with DAVID CAMERON’S OFFICE GEORGE OSBORNE’S OFFICE iBsorleesspoisnsaibtltehfeorhreaaisrtinogftthhee£P17amrtyG'senperreapl aErleacttioionnswfaorrcghoevste. rnment. . Letwin's views on tax, the environment, social justice and SItpmenacyerp'slafoyrlmittidleabroleleChiniefhoeflpSitnafgf itsoOslievciaurBeloaomfirfisetldC. ameron victory relations with the Liberal Democrats have made him 'the Gandalf figure' RUPERT ROHAN SILVA but its contribution to producing an effective programme for within Team Cameron. Like George Osborne he sits physically within DOMINIC HARRISON government and effective individual ministers LIZ SUGG Economic David Cameron's suite of offices. CUMMINGS EDWARD Chief Economic may play a big role in securing the re-election FRANCIS Head of Adviser MP is the other most influential member of the shadow Chief of Staff to LLEWELLYN Adviser of a Conservative government. MAUDE cabinet. As author of the party's most radical policy portfolio - a supply- Michael Gove Operations and Head of the MATTHEW side revolution for the nation's schools - and as a close friend of the ConservativeIntKAeTlElFiAgLL ence’Dsavidguide tEoventts he most influential people inside the Conservative Party’s David Cameron's private office is characterised by considerable HANCOCK Cameron family he is involved in speechwriting, PMQs preparation and Deputy Cameron’s Implementation stability. Most of the key advisers that surround him now were Chief of Staff to key strategic calls. Chief of Staff Chief of Staff GABBY PHILIP Team part of his 2005 leadership. A good number were known to him machine that has taken the ConsBeERrTIvN ative Party tGoeorgetOhsboerne edge oHfAMpMOoND wer in the early 1990s when the Tory leader first started working for MICHAEL GOVE Set to be a David Other key members of Its early work programme gives a clue to the the Conservative Party. This history explains the stability and powerful ‘Deputy  Shadow Cameron’s the Shadow solidarity of the Tory leader's private office. It has a reputation Chancellor’ legislative priorities of a Conservative Schools Press Secretary Chancellor’s Day-to-day for not leaking. overseeing Government: Secretary team: Poppy director of the spending cuts  Implementation Mitchell-Rose, MP (low carbon economy)  Team  GEORGE OSBORNE GEORGE OSBORNE Eleanor  Michael Gove MP (schools reform)  General Election Shadow Shawcross,  MP (prisons reform)  Co-ordinator Chancellor , MP (health) Seth Cumming, The six most important members of the staff team are: WILLIAM ProTjheecrteCsaamMaeyroMnP's(wmeolsfatriemrepfoorrtman) t decisions are taken in small Sir James Sassoon, Andy Coulson: Director of Communications and Planning. HAGUE groMuaprsiaoMf isllheardMoPwanmdinDiasvteidrsWoilrlebttystMheP (infanmeirlys) taff team. The Ramesh Chhabra and Catherine (Kate) Fall: Deputy Chief of Staff to David Cameron. shaCdaorowlinceabSpineelmt aisntMooP (ladregcenatrmalieseationng).to be an effective DShadow avid Cameron’s ‘West WSiiân Jnones (Chigef Advis’er to Andrew Feldman: Chief Executive of the Conservative Party.  decision-maker. Stephen Gilbert: The Party's head of Field Campaigning and the Foreign ) . architect of Lord Ashcroft's target seats initiative within CCHQ. Secretary Gilbert will run the party's 'ground war' during the General Election. STEVE HILTON Steve Hilton: The Conservative Party's Director of Strategy and still ANDY Steve Hilton and Oliver Letwin are the principal architects of the Director of the number one strategic influence on David Cameron. COULSON Cameron Project's strategic consistency. Strategy JAMES Ed Llewellyn: Chief of Staff to the Conservative leader. Head of STEPHEN ANDREW The shadow cabinet, which very occasionally meets outside of , is OLIVER O’SHAUGNESSY GILBERT useful for housekeeping, 'temperature-taking' and political presentations Head of Communications FELDMAN LETWIN MP Head of Field Conservative but does not take major decisions. Conservative and Planning Chief Executive Head of Policy Campaigns Party Research of the Chairman The day usually starts at 0845 when Coulson runs Key team members: (includes polling) Steve Hilton, David Cameron's Director of Strategy, works more closely (Chief Department Conservative through the draft lines to take for the day and the with Oliver Letwin than he works with any other person. If Coulson is of Staff) plus Chloe Party planning grid with James O'Shaughnessy, Stephen critical to the tactical flexibility that has characterised the Cameron Dalton, Elana Cheah LORD Gilbert and key members of his own team, notably machine since the summer of 2007 it is still Letwin and Hilton who are and Denzil Davidson. ASHCROFT Gabby Bertin, Oliver Dowden, Henry Macrory, Rishi Saha and Liz Sugg. critical to the strategic continuity. Many of the Project's key themes Deputy Tory  TIM CHATWIN OLIVER were there from the very beginning and are still there : Chairman The 0915 meeting involves the key advisers - notably  Head of DOWDEN Coulson, Chatwin, Gilbert, Llewellyn and  Planning and Head of the Social justice; O'Shaughnessy - but is joined by the politicians;  key link between Political Environmental responsibility; David Cameron, George Osborne, Eric Pickles, Patrick  Hilton and HENRY Section  Avoidance of 'up front' pledges; McLoughlin, William Hague, Ken Clarke and . Coulson MACRORY With the Party  'Lovebombing' of Liberal Democrat voters; AMEETPAL Head of Media Chairman, Feldman Civil libertarianism; GILL The 4pm meeting is regarded as the most significant runs CCHQ. Key O’Shaughnessy, 'Not banging on about Europe'; Lead of the leader's regular meetings. If the earlier relations are with Coulson, Gilbert and Public opinion has largely to be embraced rather than led; speechwriter meetings are about information gathering and shar - A feminisation of the Party's candidates list and general appeal. Party Treasurers Feldman are the four ing the 4pm is more of a decision-making body. As Key members of the Michael Spencer key players at Eric well as David Cameron, George Osborne and Eric Pickles it includes Andy ThisIiAsInNotDtUoNsCayANthat there have not been adjustments to strategy since SAMUEL Conservative Research (responsible for day- Pickles’ CCHQ. Coulson, Steve Hilton, Kate Fall, Ed Llewellyn, James O'Shaughnessy, CLARE FOGES the beSgiMnnITinHgMofP David Cameron's leadership but these adjustments have COATES Department are Nick to-day fundraising) Stephen Gilbert, Tim Chatwin, Oliver Dowden and . Junior The influence ofbeen more evolutionary than those that characterised Junior Timothy and Sheridan Key members of the and Stanley Fink (for Pickles attends all key ’s speechwriter Rishi Saha’s the mid-terms of the first two parliaments in which speechwriter Westlake. Sean Worth runs Field Campaigning the election war chest. meetings including the Three or four hours of every week when Parliament is sitting is spent Centre for Socioal six person the Conservatives were in opposition. the Policy Unit and reports team include Gavin Olivia Bloomfield is strategic 4pm. preparing for Prime Minister's Question Time. David Cameron is joined Justice has grown new media Noteworthy adjustments have included a relative CONSEtoROVliAvTerIVLeEtwCiAnManPdAJaIGmNes HQ Barwell, Michael Spencer’s Chief of by George Osborne plus Peter Campbell, Andy Coulson, Oliver Dowden since 2005. unit is part of downgrading of the green agenda and an O’Shaughnessy. Dolley, Stephen Staff. Ian McIsaac, Chief of Staff to Eric and Nick Timothy. Michael Gove and Oliver Letwin are the other senior Coulson’s upgrading of the social justice agenda; an aban - Parkinson and Finance Director, Pickles is Andrew players who regularly join the Preparation meetings. One insider NEXT DOOR TO GEORGE remit. donment of the tactic of matching Labour on Stephen Phillips. reports to Feldman. Griffiths. THE LEADER’S OSBORNE’S TEAM GEORGE BORIS describes the meeting as a key foruKmENfoCrLdAeRvKelEoping aCtHtaRckISsGtrRatAeYgLieIsN. G spending; a relaxation of the A-list and its original DAVID CAMERON MP’S OWN OFFICE IS Although the inner The Shadow Homse OSBORNE MP’S  target of 50% women candidates; and fourth, a LOCATED IN THE NORMAN SHAW OFFICE SIT HEAD OCCUPY THE SPACE JOHNSON The biggest decisions are 'drafted' team drafts all OFFICE IS TWO Four top advisers: Secretary is another greater volume for issues like crime and immigration but still a much SOUTH BUILDING OF THE OF STRATEGY NEXT TO HILTON in very small groups, however major decisions the trusted member of The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is functioning DOORS FROM Mayor of Anthony Browne, Director of reduced emphasis compared with that placed on them by William Hague STEVE HILTON, Osborne’s team are  - always before Cameron former Chancellor David Cameron’s more effectively than at any time since 1997. After years of HOUSE OF COMMONS London Policy. (2001) and (2005). CAMERON’S refers them to his front - is always consulted top team restructuring it has reverted to a traditional three-fold structure TIM CHATWIN integrated into the Guto Harri, Director of External  bench's 'big beasts' for rati - of Field Campaigning (overseen by Stephen Gilbert), AND OTHERS Leader’s operation Affairs and Mayor’s Spokesman. fication (notably Ken Clarke Communications (overseen by Andy Coulson) and Policy and Kit Malthouse is Deputy Mayor, as well as the other leading Research (overseen by James O'Shaughnessy). Andrew Policing. frontbenchers already men - Feldman, a university friend of David Cameron, became Chief THE OFFICE OF Sir Simon Milton is Deputy tioned). Osborne and Cameron Executive of the Party in another sign of the Tory leader's firm ED LLEWELLYN AND Mayor for Policy and Planning. Towards the are always at the centre of these small grip on the whole party machine. CATHERINE FALL House of Commons The relationship between the teams around and groups but, depending upon the mix of policy and politics, are often The Leader’s David Cameron are good. There is a two-way traffic of ideas joined by Hilton, in particular, and Coulson. Llewellyn, Fall, Gove, Letwin gatekeepers If was most influenced by the Institute of between the two teams although on important issues of EancdonHoagmuiecfAorfmfaitrhseannedxttlhoeosCeecnontrceenfotrricProinligcyarSotuunddiethse, tinhneetr wo most importance to London, Boris is determinedly independent. 'iQmupaortretat'n. t think tanks in the Cameron era are ANDY COULSON, HEAD OF The geography of David Cameron’s office ('PX') and the Centre for Social Justice. Lord Ashcroft's man, Stephen Gilbert, runs CCHQ's Field Campaigning COMMS AND PLANNING It is inevitable that some journalists should suggest that there team. One of the innovations of Gilbert's era is the integration of polling are tensions between David Cameron and Boris Johnson (and and campaigning. Rather than targeting geographical clusters of seats between their teams). Johnson is an A List celebrity and has a alone there are also now battleground strategies and bespoke literature huge personal mandate having won the Mayoralty. He is for New Towns, seaside constituencies and Con/LibDem marginals. THE SPEECHWRITING highly ambitious, and Cameron would be right to consider him Geographical proximity to the source of power in any organisation is TEAM’S OFFICE a potential rival. Some commentators have tried to create The new influence on politics is the blogosphere. A post on The Andy Coulson oversees communications. His key lieutenants are Oliver incredibly important. In the West Wing of the White House advisers are will - tensions. suggested Boris “despised” Cameron - a Spectator's Coffee House blog, The Times' Comment Central (written by Dowden and Henry Macrory. With former Cameron speechwriter ing to accept cramped office accommodation in return for a seat close to the claim London's Mayor dismissed as “obvious tripe”. Boris has the close friend of George Osborne, ), Douglas Smith, Dowden runs many of the HQ's more political operations. President and his other key advisers. Cameron’s key advisers are located in said that being London's Mayor would "almost certainly [be] ConservativeHome.com, 's Diary or Guido Fawkes is certain to Rishi Saha's six person new media team falls within Coulson's remit. OLIVER LETWIN’S OFFICE these offices including Andy Coulson, Kathryn Fall, Steve Hilton and Ed my last big job in British politics". Few journalists believe be read and absorbed by the advisers to the Conservative Party leader Llewellyn. Also very nearby are two of his most trusted shadow cabinet col - him, however, and there is enormous possibility for tension. and very likely by the blog-reading leader himself. Head of the Conservative Research Department is James O'Shaughnessy. leagues, Oliver Letwin and George Osborne. David Cameron’s small suite of O'Shaughnessy is one of a large number of 'graduates' of the Policy Key to avoiding tensions boiling over is the relationship offices is located in the Norman Shaw South building - on the very edge of the Exchange think tank. between the two key players' media operators; Guto Harri and Parliamentary estate although he also spends part of most days inside Andy Coulson. The two men are friends and talk all the time. Conservative Campaign Headquarters. No access. No lobbying. Just intelligence. ConservativeIntelligence.com