The Guardian profiles Steve Hilton (and misses the elephant in the room)

Pictures from today's Guardian of Steve Hilton 'webcameroning' the Tory leader during their India trip.

This morning's Telegraph calls him the party's real deputy leader and there's a useful profile of Steve Hilton in this morning's Guardian although Patrick Wintour and Tania Branigan miss one of the most important features of the man who is undoubtedly the most important political influence on David Cameron.

That most important feature is Steve Hilton's control freak tendency.  ConservativeHome regularly hears from inside CCHQ about a project becoming stalled because it is still awaiting the green light from The Director of Strategy.  Most Tory leaders have shared a low opinion of CCO/ CCHQ and David Cameron has already been burnt by CCHQ.  The early problems with the A-list, the mishandled Mayoral process, the Bromley by-election operation and basic problems of membership management have only encouraged Steve Hilton in his belief that CCHQ requires micromanagement.  Hilton and Francis Maude's relationship has often been very strained as each competes to knock an often dysfunctional operation into shape.  Francis Maude is fairly portrayed as an ultra-moderniser but even the Party Chairman has had to moderate Steve Hilton's desires for greater central control of the candidate selection process.

The Guardian also fails to mention Steve Hilton's controversial £23,000pcm remuneration package.  We've never learnt if that was a temporary measure - as was said at the time - or if it continues.

What is certain about Steve Hilton is that no Tory adviser has ever enjoyed such influence on a party leader in modern times.  It is also true that he has managed to combine his dominant role with being very well liked.  People respect his creativity and his commitment.  His drive to control David Cameron's message and get CCHQ to perform as he wishes is entirely transparent and his colleagues have respect and affection for him.  The danger is that his dominance is excluding other voices - but that's a subject for another day.

Comments

[Jack Stone]

Steve Hilton as helped put the Conservative Party back in the game and given it a fighting chance of winning the next election. I think all Conservatives should be grateful to him for that. Personally I have no problems with whatever salary he is paid as long as we see David Cameron in Downing Street after the next election.
All leaders have one or maybe two people they are closest too and who influence them most and I don`t see anything wrong with David Cameron being the same.

[Floreat]

Look at David Cameron's inner circle. Steve Hilton (apart from the two Scots, Michael Gove and Dougie Smith) is the only one who doesn't come from a classic Etonian/top public school background. That alone makes him valuable.

[A Party that looks like Britain]

Edward Llewellyn (Chief of Staff) - Eton. Oliver Letwin (Policy Chief) - Eton. George Bridges (Director of CCHQ) - Eton. Danny Kruger (Speech Writer) - Eton. George Osborne (Campaign Manager and Shadow Chancellor) - St Pauls. Catherine Fall (Deputy Chief of Staff) - Roedean.

[CCHQ Spy]

The Grauniad needs better sources --- their article has missed all the delicious Maude versus Hilton tensions bubbling away in the Victoria Street cauldron.

[Modern Conservative]

I find your inverted snobbery bizarre "A Party That Looks Like Britain", are you John Prescott in disguise?

[Deborah]

Modern Conservative,
Snobbery or not, there is an issue about representation here.

[sino]

It also fails to analyse why Hilton won't allow Cameron to appoint a proper press secretary?

[Richard]

Wasn't he the one behind "New Labour, New Danger"?

[michael]

No mention either that Hilton's lady friend had an affair with Mrs Cameron's stepfather.

[Mark Clarke]

As the National Chairman of Conservative Future let me say that Steve Hilton has been extremely supportive of our organisation. In fact he has been the exact opposite of a roadblock. He has helped smooth the way for us with ideas that we have and some needs of our organisation. We have found him very accessible and receptive. And he makes stuff happen.

[Derek]

There is also a big article on Hilton in the Mail, entitled "Is this the man wrecking the Tory Party?"

[Editor]

I've just read that, Derek. It's far from a generous article but, unlike The Guardian, does note the tensions with Francis Maude. It also has an interesting story that SH vetoed a speech endorsing Trident from Liam Fox. The writer, Geoffrey Levy, alleges that a focus group didn't like the idea of the speech because it reminded voters of Margaret Thatcher.

[Jon White]

What proportion of the current NuLab cabinet went to private schools? I presume most of them benefited from free University Tuition, a benefit that they took away from future students, placing another efefctive stealth tax on the middle classes.

[Old Hack]

It's worth noting just how far Hilton and Cameron go back - both were Chris Patten's protege's in the '92 election campaign. They were politically blooded together.

Sorry, but were he anyone else he would be being paid in excess of £250k. He is a Cameron crony and that is why he is there.

Put it another way - for every £5 that the Associations pay up to CCHQ under the new membership rules Hilton will get a quid.

He'd bloody well better deliver.

[Modern Conservative]

Crony is a very loaded word 'Old Hack'. Isn't David Cameron entitled to employ who he wants as Director of Strategy?

I find generally any headline that poses a question as in this instance "Is this the man wrecking the Tory Party?" can be easily answered - No.

[Political Animal]

Steve Hilton is an unproven force. Normally performance dictates the pay, unless you run some Plc into the ground. Steve would be welcome to high octane money if he delivers - but he has little experience and his only claim is being Dave's buddy. All rather thin and disappointing.

[bill grant]

the board of the party had no idea of s hilton"s pay package. it was done behind their back!

[Bedd Gelert]

Who the heck is this guy ? I wouldn't know him if I bumped into him. Please put a picture and profile of him on ConservativeHome. Then we can decide if he is a fit and proper person.

Sounds like another Mandy in the making.