Nearly 90 temporary civil servants, known as Special Advisers, work directly for government ministers, assisting them with the party political aspects of their work.
In the aftermath of the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary, who was clearly not well served by those in her immediate circle, questions have been asked about the quality of the current Special Advisers.
This important issue was discussed in an article on the ConservativeHome website on 2 May by Andrew Gimson. He drew on the past experience of Alistair Lexden who for many years was involved in running the Conservative Research Department from which most Special Advisers were drawn in the 1980s and 1990s. Follow the link to read the article in which Alistair is quoted…