John McTernan
John McTernan (born 1959) is a British political strategist and commentator. He has been a political adviser to the Labour Party.
John McTernan | |
|---|---|
McTernan at Policy Exchange, November 2014 | |
| Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 2005–2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Pat McFadden |
| Succeeded by | Joe Irvin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John McTernan 1959 (age 64–65) London, England |
| Education | Firrhill High School |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
McTernan was Prime Minister Tony Blair's Director of Political Operations from 2005 to 2007. He then worked on the November 2007 Australian Labor Party federal election campaign. From 2007 to 2010 he was special adviser to two Cabinet Ministers in Gordon Brown's Labour Government: first to Des Browne, Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Defence, and then to Jim Murphy MP, the Secretary of State for Scotland from 2008 until May 2010. From June 2010 to October 2011, he was a columnist at The Scotsman, and then director of communications for the Australian Labor prime minister, Julia Gillard, from September 2011 to June 2013. He was chief of staff to the 2014–2015 leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Jim Murphy, who resigned after the Labour Party lost all but one seat in Scotland, including Murphy's, in the 2015 general election.