Bell Pottinger Public Affairs chair Peter Bingle has predicted there could be a general election 'as early as January or February next year'. Bingle made the call in a memo sent to clients at the end of last week. It concluded: 'There is no doubt that an early election in 2009 would be a huge gamble. But the Prime Minister is more confident than he has been for over a year... If the polls are in any way favourable at the beginning of 2009, then he might just be tempted.'
Joy Johnson, former comms director at the Labour Party, is to teach part of a module in City University's new MA in Political Campaigning, which gets under way next September. Course leader Ivor Gaber has also lined up John Major's former press secretary Sheila Gunn and former Liberal Democrat comms chief David Walter.Meanwhile, Bell Pottinger's David Hill is helping advise on the course content.
