Spencer Livermore: Where Have You Been?

Ed Miliband's first big speech of 2014 promised; "Only if we take on powerful vested interests, from energy to banking, and reform broken markets, can we make the long-term changes Britain needs."

And who is heading Red Ed's election campaign? Step forward Spencer Livermore, who was until recently serving precisely those, er, vested interests.

Livermore was a  Gordon Brown adviser until 2008, when he moved into PR and advertisng. At PR firm Blue Rubiconbhe was in charge of "brand positioning" for firms including Centrica (owner of British gas), Lloyds Banking Group, and other cuddly corporates such as Shell, Coca-Cola and McDonald's. In other words, he shored up big corporate reputations while the likes of British Gas gaily went on raising prices to customers, and Miliband's, chagrin. Just the man to guide Labour back into office!

Private Eye.

In 2007, Pink News declared Spencer "The most powerful gay man in British politics". 
In 2008, he resigned as Gordon Brown's senior strategist when he refused to hold a snap general election.
He then joined Saatchi & Saatchi, but rather fell off the gay politics radar.