Cameron seeks to ‘strengthen’ No 10
By politics.co.uk staff
David Cameron is reshaping his policy team on the model adopted by Tony Blair, according to a report.
The prime minister is set to boost his team with the recruitment of James O’Shaughnessy as a special adviser on education and family policy, the Guardian reported.
He will join another Tory and two Lib Dems as the four special advisers working for Oliver Letwin and Danny Alexander, the coalition’s two main backroom figures.
The change reportedly followed Mr Cameron’s frustration that a law and order briefing was not quickly available to him.
“At the moment there is just not the time to have a proper impact, let alone set the thinking into our overall strategic thinking,” a source told the newspaper.
“Departments also need to know that there is a person in Downing Street who speaks with the authority of the prime minister.”
Former Labour prime minister Mr Blair was noted by experts for his attempts to make the premiership more ‘presidential’.
Mr Cameron is constrained by the needs of the coalition, but could be taking some steps down Mr Blair’s path.
“We are organising No 10 more along the lines of how it was run under Tony Blair,” the source added. “David feels he needs experts in policy areas.”
