Ouch! Someone doesn’t like Steve Hilton

By Mark Pack | Thu 29th January 2009 - 1:04 pm

The latest edition of Standpoint casts David Cameron’s top adviser Steve Hilton into its “Overrated” column:

Between David Cameron’s election as leader and his hoped-for entry into 10 Downing Street, Steve Hilton will have cost the Conservative party at least a million pounds. Despite vast debts, the Tories are reported to be paying their chief strategist an unprecedented £270,000-a- year salary.* Yet, apart from having helped to make Cameron leader, Hilton has no other notable political successes to his name. In the disastrous 1997 and 2005 general election campaigns, Michael Portillo’s two failed leadership bids, and Steve Norris’s two doomed efforts to become London mayor, Hilton has been there, not always in charge, but always on the losing side. So why does Cameron have such faith in him?

I’m not really giving away the end of the article if I let you know that the author doesn’t think there is a good answer to this question.

* An ironic contrast you might think with Conservative MP Eric Pickles’s criticism of other people, with larger responsibilities and bigger budgets than Steve Hilton, who get paid far less than Steve Hilton. One difference though: the people Eric Pickles criticises aren’t Conservative Party members.

4 Comments

Iain Dale 29th Jan '09 - 1:12pm

I look forward to your searing analysis of the Underrated column featuring Tim Montgomerie!
Mark Pack 29th Jan '09 - 1:21pm

But surely that piece is a horrible slur on you Iain, what with it saying that Tim is “the party’s sole internet visionary” 🙂
Iain Dale 29th Jan '09 - 1:23pm

That was indeed the piece I would expect you to rebut forcibly. 🙂
Martin Land 29th Jan '09 - 5:39pm

Nice to see that others, elsewhere, are also sceptical about soi-disant election gurus.

Iain, having lost by 10606 last time, I assume you won’t be trying for Steve’s job when it comes up?

It’s so comforting to know that Steve is in charge. By the way isn’t he under the supervision of none other than – George Osbourne? The blind leading the blind?