More than anyone else, it was Alastair Campbell who enabled Tony Blair to become Prime Minister, and then sustained him in office. An unelected figure with a colourful early career as a writer of soft porn, Campbell was given unprecedented powers to intervene in every aspect of government, and used them to the full. This book reveals for the first time the remarkable extent to which he bullied and cajoled ministers, civil servants and newspaper editors into carrying out his will. He gained his power at the expense of an emasculated parliament, Whitehall and Cabinet. Those who defied him did not always survive.But Campbell's ruthless methods were eventually to backfire on Tony Blair. The Prime Minister's spin doctor became so powerful that not even the Prime Minister could control him, and growing tensions inside Downing Street and the death of MOD scientist Dr. David Kelly spelled the end for Campbell. It is impossible to understand the true nature of Tony Blair's government without understanding Alastair Campbell. This is the first book to tell the full story of this man and the political era he came to define. Read Less