CCHQ lose two star employees

Word reaches me that two of the main players in the CCHQ political team – Oliver Dowden and Richard Hardyment – are leaving to take up job offers. Dowden has been central to keeping Labour and the LibDems on the backfoot and briefing Shadow Ministers. The Observer pinpointed Hardyment as being behind the Labour donorgate scandal. Even if it's not correct that Dowden’s team pinpointed the latest bout of sleaze, this is a real blow for CCHQ – especially at a time when good people should be joining the operation, not leaving it. Two observations:

• After the departure of these two and others at the top of the machine, steps must be made to ensure that CCHQ does not lose more of those who know how the machine works and have fought previous elections. Of course you don’t want people who are always trying to re-fight the last war: but you do need people who have some institutional memory, and can say “Do it this way – that way didn’t work last time”.
• More long term, something needs to be done to ensure that good people don’t leave. Someone needs to create a proper career structure, so graduates like Hardyment can see where they might be if they stayed for more than just a year or so.

Comments

[JR]

COMMENT OVERWRITTEN.

[Priority Booker]

COMMENT OVERWRITTEN.

[Henry Edward-Bancroft]

Any organisation is only as good as the people within it, so we ought to be mindful of that.

However, I think we need to tread carefully when it comes to making politics a career in itself, just as we ought to be weary of the "professional politician"

[Fred Smith]

I love the line "are leaving to take up job offers"..... as if working for CCHQ wasn't a real job??

[lettuce]

Unline Eustice losing Dowden is a blow.

Seriously effective operator and the political team were behind donorgate.

It is right that Coulson decided to get rid of lightweights but at the same time you are right here in that we should try to hold on to talent.

[lettuce]

Sorry should have read "unlike losing Eustice - losing Dowden is a blow."

[John Glen]

Having recruited, worked with and managed both Oliver and Richard I can concur with the Editor's assessment that they are both "star employees" who have contributed massively over the past few years. Oliver and Richard have exhibited enormous talents, great loyalty, and a willingness to put up with constant change and remain quietly focused on the job behind the scenes. They are superb individuals who the party will miss.

However, i know neither would be keen for their departure to be read as anything other than - working at CCHQ in the Political Section is a tough job - you can't do it for ever!

It is healthy for fresh faces to join - people who have new campaigning ideas and who are fully energized – no one is irreplaceable even if it seems so right now! It is also healthy for Richard and Oliver to build life experience outside CCHQ. Most selection panels always have a go at CCHQ insiders. Now they have the chance to do something else – take the experience but lose the negative branding that may have stuck with them if they want to go down the MP route in the future.

I wish Oliver and Richard well - I hope they will both serve the party again in different guises.... and to encourage them - there is life outside CCHQ and CRD...a balanced and more peaceful one!

[James Maskell]

The Conservatives have been very slow to update their website. The Prague speech hasnt appeared on the website at all, despite its content being I would think very interesting in showing the ideological perspective the Party is following. They wont even mention it in their newsletter.

CCHQ must keep on top of it...

[Mike A]

COMMENT OVERWRITTEN.

[Ex-staffer]

When I was at CCHQ I was told by a senior Conservative MP that I didn't have a "real job"

Unbelievably, he was rather put out when I left a few weeks later