Peter Cardwell

Peter Cardwell is a presenter and Political Editor at TalkRadio. A broadcaster for most of his career, he also served as special adviser – or SpAd – in the UK Government for three and a half years. He worked for four Cabinet ministers in four different departments: the Northern Ireland Office; Home Office; Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; and at the Ministry of Justice. His job was to deliver tactical and strategic advice, crisis management and media handling during some of the most dramatic political events of recent times. He advised his bosses, and Prime Ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson, before speeches and media interviews through the maelstrom of Brexit, the Windrush Affair and two elections, and indeed once lost a housing company £387m in a single day by sending a text message. And he once answered journalists’ questions about his boss’s multiple ovens for eight days straight.

Peter recounts all that experience in his acclaimed book The Secret Life of Special Advisers, recently published in paperback by Biteback.

Educated in Northern Ireland, Peter studied at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, before winning a Fulbright scholarship to the Columbia School of Journalism, New York.  He worked for the BBC in London, Washington DC, New York and Belfast, as well as for Sky News, Channel 5 News, UTV and ITV’s Good Morning Britain. As well as his post-politics work as Political Editor and presenter at TalkRadio, Peter consults in senior roles for a number of companies and is a non-executive director at a housing investment fund which provides housing for people coming out of homelessness, domestic abuse victims, care leavers and prison leavers. He is a frequent national and international media commentator on outlets including BBC radio and TV –  including Newsnight and the Today programme – Sky News, Times Radio, RTE, National Public Radio (USA) and in print titles including The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Belfast Telegraph, the Irish Times and Your Cat magazine. He is an expert on the cats of Westminster and is a former volunteer at Cats Protection.  He has a rescue cat, Jack, too.

Peter Cardwell speaks on politics, political communications, crisis management and on the condition of governance today.

Specialist Speakers presented Peter Cardwell at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Conference 2022 on 8 November at the National Gallery, London.

Contact Peter Cardwell via a Specialist Speakers agent on 01455 633289 to discuss both in-person and virtual appearances.