At the heart of government policy making and communication for over five years, Craig was a key part of the coalition government and David Cameron’s General Election win. He was also an influential voice within the EU referendum ‘remain’ campaign and he now examines what the result says about politics, society, and the media. He considers where the UK goes from here as well as offering insights into the workings of Westminster and how business can deal with uncertainty.
Craig Oliver was Prime Minster David Cameron’s Director of Politics and Communications for six years. During that time, he faced a news revolution moving from 24/7 media coverage to the constant, inescapable scrutiny, and instant reaction of social media. He dealt with elections, referendums, and controversy during his time in Number 10.
Before entering politics and joining the Coalition Government, Craig had a successful career in broadcast journalism. Starting out at ITV, he worked for Channel 4 and 5 before moving to the BBC as Editor of the Ten O'Clock News. He then led the BBC's multimedia news output and eventually took charge of the corporation’s global news channels.
With rare access to the inner workings of government policy and communications, Craig recounts the lessons of delivering a successful General Election campaign and of dealing with the difficult situations the current government has to face. He examines how policy makers, businesses and institutions can develop strategies to deal with political upheaval and uncertainty. Craig was also a key figure in the remain campaign during the EU referendum. He left Downing Street at the same time as his boss and reveals the atmosphere during and after their failed campaign.
Craig's book Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story of Brexit considers why voters made the choices they did, what is says about politics and society, what the future holds for the UK outside the EU, and how the pollsters got it so wrong. The book was the inspiration behind the Channel 4 drama Brexit: The Uncivil War depicting Craig and Dominic Cummings as the main protagonists, with Rory Kinnear and Benedict Cumberbatch playing their respective characters.
He is a Partner and Co-Global Head of Strategy and Reputation at FGS Global, working with some of the biggest businesses in the world, and a trustee of the Make a Wish charity.
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