BritainThinks Founder Leaves for Labour Strategy Role

In the UK, The Labour party has appointed BritainThinks co-founder Deborah Mattinson as Director of Strategy.

Before setting up BritainThinks with Viki Cooke and Ben Shimshon, Mattinson co-founded Opinion Leader Research (also with Cooke), which they sold to marcoms group Chime in 1998. Earlier, she was pollster to Gordon Brown, first when he was Labour's Chancellor of the Exchequer, then as Prime Minister. In 2010, she published 'Talking to a Brick Wall' about New Labour's years through the eyes of the voter, and she has since published 'Beyond the Red Wall', which explores Labour's failings during the 2019 election. She became an honorary fellow of the MRS (Market Research Society) in March.

Her appointment follows Labour leader Keir Starmer's decision to make changes to his Shadow Cabinet, after the local elections last Thursday, when the party lost control of Durham County Council, which it had run since 1925, and also lost the Hartlepool parliamentary by-election - although it did hold onto its mayoralties in London and Greater Manchester.

Mattinson, who will leave BritainThinks in June and take up her new role in July, comments: 'I am incredibly proud of everything we have achieved at BritainThinks and leave the business in the very capable hands of Ben, Viki and the brilliant team'.

Web sites: www.labour.org.uk and www.britainthinks.com .