Woman tipped to become the face of Boris Johnson's TV briefings has 'genuine integrity', say friends

Allegra Stratton
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The woman Boris Johnson is said to want as the face of the Government was today described as “serious, intelligent and principled” by former colleagues.

Allegra Stratton, a former political journalist, is widely regarded as the frontrunner in the race to lead the Government’s new White House-style television briefings.

Downing Street is in the middle of an intense interview process for the high-profile £100,000-a-year job.

Whoever wins will have to face the might of the political lobby in a new press room designed with enough seats for 60 reporters.

“She’s obviously the favourite. Boris clearly likes her,” says one source. Ms Stratton, who joined the Treasury in April this year, is also said to be a fan of Mr Johnson.

She is the mastermind behind Rishi Sunak’s press operation, helping the Chancellor score a number of PR coups throughout the pandemic.

Stratton works for Chancellor Rishi Sunak 
PA

With Mr Sunak’s slick personalised social media messaging, his hugely popular Eat Out To Help Out scheme not to mention a photo call alongside the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, it is no wonder the Prime Minister wants to poach his director of communications.

Ms Stratton studied archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge before starting out as a producer for the BBC. She became a political correspondent for The Guardian and returned to broadcast as political editor of Newsnight, a post she held for three years.

Former colleagues say she is a person of “genuine integrity” who will push back if she is asked to say something on TV that she does not think is right.

One said: “She is a very serious person, a very intelligent person, a person of principle. Someone like Allegra will push back against her employers if they ask her to say something she doesn’t believe.”

Her last journalism role was ITV News national editor during which time she also co-presented Peston On Sunday with Robert Peston for two years.

Mr Peston told the Standard: “She was an absolutely brilliant journalist and was absolutely central to the success of our Sunday show.

“She did also for ITV News some absolutely brilliant work on, for example, exposing the county lines drugs gangs.

“If Boris Johnson appoints her as his spokesperson, and she accepts, he’s a very lucky Prime Minister.”

The 39-year-old is a mother-of-two who went back to work at ITV six weeks after giving birth in 2017.

Boris Johnson would be lucky to have her, says ITV's Robert Peston 
BBC/STV

She is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator magazine.

“From the moment the job was announced it seemed likely she would get it due to her inside track,” said one seasoned hack.

Number 10 is aiming to start the new daily televised press briefings in October.

The five candidates reportedly went through a rigorous interview on Friday in which they were quizzed by three of Mr Johnson’s top spin doctors as well as a mock press conference.

It is expected that the final two or three best candidates will then take part in an interview with the Prime Minister.

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