Confessions of a government SpAd

Former special advisor Peter Cardwell on twerking ministers, working with Boris — and being sacked by Dominic Cummings

Words: Peter Cardwell

Purchasing a pair of rainbow-coloured underpants for a government minister. Explaining what a dental dam is to the Justice Secretary. Having my inside leg measured in a government office. It’s all in a day’s work for the small army of ministerial aides or special advisers that populate Whitehall. I did the job for three-and-a-half years, in four departments, for four Cabinet ministers — and even the seemingly-quiet days can have dramatic consequences.

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