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| PM hires Queen's ex-spin doctor | PM hires Queen's ex-spin doctor |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hired the public relations officer credited with boosting the Queen's image after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. | Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hired the public relations officer credited with boosting the Queen's image after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. |
| Simon Lewis, who has also been employed by Vodafone and Centrica, will take over as the PM's official spokesman and Director of Communications. | Simon Lewis, who has also been employed by Vodafone and Centrica, will take over as the PM's official spokesman and Director of Communications. |
| Mr Lewis, whose brother Will is editor of The Daily Telegraph, will take charge of Mr Brown's media strategy. | Mr Lewis, whose brother Will is editor of The Daily Telegraph, will take charge of Mr Brown's media strategy. |
| He replaces the the prime minister's outgoing spokesman, Michael Ellam. | He replaces the the prime minister's outgoing spokesman, Michael Ellam. |
| Mr Lewis will, like his predecessor be a civil servant and not a party spokesman, the BBC's political correspondent Nick Robinson said. | Mr Lewis will, like his predecessor be a civil servant and not a party spokesman, the BBC's political correspondent Nick Robinson said. |
| He added that Mr Lewis's main task will be "to repair the dreadful damage done to his boss's reputation, in part by the actions of brother Will over at the Telegraph". | |
| The Daily Telegraph has been publishing leaked details of MP expenses claims over the past few weeks - details which were partly blamed for Labour's disastrous showing in the English local and European elections earlier this month. | |
| Mr Ellam returns to the Treasury, where he was previously a senior civil servant, at the end of July. | Mr Ellam returns to the Treasury, where he was previously a senior civil servant, at the end of July. |