John McTernan
political strategist, BCW; former director of political operations, Blair government; writer, Financial Times and UnHerd

John McTernan is a highly regarded communicator and campaign strategist. He has worked widely in government – advising prime ministers in seven countries, specialising in communications and international reputation.

John is now a senior adviser at BCW London. Prior to that, he ran the International Political Practice of PSB; and before that was a columnist and writer for the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times and The Times.

An experienced policy adviser and strategist, he was former prime minister Tony Blair’s director of political operations, and worked in the departments of work and pensions, defence and Scotland during the Labour government. He then worked as director of communications for Australian prime minister Julia Gillard. Previously, he was thinker in residence for the government of South Australia and head of policy for the Scottish Government.

John appears frequently in the media, including on the BBC and Sky News, as well as writing regularly for the Financial Times and UnHerd.

Follow John on X/Twitter: @johnmcternan

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