Jack Doyle is a British journalist who served as
Downing Street Director of Communications
The Downing Street director of communications is the post of director of communications for the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The position is held by an appointed special adviser.
In September 2022, as part of the incoming Truss minis ...
from April 2021 to February 2022.
Biography
The son of a policeman,
Doyle was formerly a
home affairs
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
correspondent at the
Press Association
PA Media (formerly the Press Association) is a multimedia news agency, and the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is part of PA Media Group Limited, a private company with 26 shareholders, most of whom are national and re ...
. He held the same position at the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' from 2010, where he was a
leader writer
A leader writer is a senior journalist in a British newspaper who is charged with writing the paper's editorial either in the absence of the editor or in cases where the editor chooses not to write editorials because their editorial skills may res ...
under the editorships of
Paul Dacre
Paul Michael Dacre (; born 14 November 1948) is an English journalist and the former long-serving editor of the British right-wing tabloid the ''Daily Mail''. He is also editor-in-chief of DMG Media, which publishes the ''Daily Mail'', ''The Ma ...
and
Geordie Greig
George Carron Greig (born 1960), known as Geordie Greig, is an English journalist and former editor of the ''Daily Mail''. He was editor in 2020 when it surpassed '' The Sun'' to become the best-selling newspaper in the UK.
Early life and care ...
. He left the role of the ''Daily Mail''s
associate editor
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
(politics)
to become a
press secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage.
Duti ...
at Downing Street in 2020.
[ He was Downing Street Deputy Director of Communications. On 16 April 2021, it was announced to staff in Downing Street that he had been appointed to the post of director of communications. He succeeded ]James Slack
James Slack is a British political advisor and journalist who served as Downing Street Director of Communications for Prime Minister Boris Johnson between January and March 2021.
Career
Previously home affairs editor of the '' Daily Mail'', ...
,[
It was reported that Doyle had vetoed plans favoured by Allegra Stratton for daily televised press briefings to be held.][ On 23 April 2021, he was accused by ]Dominic Cummings
Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020.
From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...
of making "a number of false accusations to media" about Cummings on behalf of the prime minister, Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
.
On 19 November 2021, Doyle was identified as the man who called Matt Kelly, founder and editor of ''The New European
''The New European'' is a British pan-European weekly political and cultural newspaper and website. Launched in July 2016 as a response to the United Kingdom's 2016 EU referendum, its readership is aimed at those who voted to remain within t ...
'', to tell Kelly that Johnson was going to sue for defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
, pertaining to an article quoting Johnson as saying he had "buyer's remorse" regarding his relationship with Carrie Johnson
Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson (' Symonds; born 17 March 1988) is a British media consultant and the wife of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. She is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, co-founder of ''The Independent.''
...
. Downing Street denied that Johnson had said this but also denied that Doyle said Johnson would sue over the article.
Doyle has two children.
Downing Street parties
According to journalists investigating several alleged breaches of coronavirus restrictions at Westminster in 2020, Doyle attended a 10 Downing Street party on 18 December 2020, even taking up the role of handing out awards at the function. In December 2021 it was reported he had offered his resignation, but that Johnson had refused to accept it; this account was rejected by the prime minister's office.
Doyle resigned from his position as Downing Street director of communications on 3 February 2022. He said that "recent weeks have taken a terrible toll on my family life", but that he had intended to leave Downing Street after two years.
References
British political journalists
Daily Mail journalists
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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