BRITAIN: British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair sought to renew the public's trust in his government yesterday by announcing that a top civil servant will oversee its communications strategy.
In a bid to shatter the image of an administration obsessed by "spin", a permanent secretary - someone on the most elevated civil service grade - will take charge of the whole Whitehall communications empire.
A deputy permanent secretary will become Mr Blair's senior official spokesman and take charge of all civil service aspects of the No 10 media machine.
Former Labour press chief Mr David Hill is to be appointed to a purely political role, as Mr Blair's director of communications .
Crucially, he will be robbed of the powers granted to his predecessor, Mr Alastair Campbell, to give orders to civil servants.
The move means a restoration of the clear division between political spin and straightforward presentation of the government and its policy initiatives.
Yesterday's shake-up was in response to the interim findings of the Phillis review into government communications, ordered by No 10 in the wake of the Jo Moore e-mail fiasco.
Mr Blair accepted those interim findings - but wrote to the inquiry chairman, Guardian executive Mr Bob Phillis, asking him, in his wider inquiry into the government's information and communication service, to debate whether daily government briefings should be televised and what the "role and responsibilities" of reporters were. The Prime Minister also asked the review team to take into account any relevant findings of the Hutton inquiry into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.
Senior civil servants welcomed the moves, but the Tories and others remained sceptical. The First Division Association, which represents senior Whitehall officials, including heads of information at government departments, welcomed the shake-up. General secretary Mr Jonathan Baume said the changes "recognise the importance of professionalism in government communications.
"There is tremendous public trust in the integrity and impartiality of the civil service, and the Prime Minister has recognised the need for the civil service to be seen to lead government communications."
Mr Garry Graham, an official at Prospect, the union which represents many workers in the government's information service, said: "These recommendations represent a step forward in seeking to regain the public's trust in the information provided by government."
But the Tories were sceptical. Shadow work and pensions secretary Mr David Willetts said the Prime Minister was at the heart of the culture of spin.
He told Sky News: "At the heart of it is Tony Blair. In my view these problems in the way he governs are so profound that we will have them so long as he remains Prime Minister. He lived by spin and he will die by spin."
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Mr Menzies Campbell said: "It is not what No 10 says but what No 10 does which will be the true measure of their repentance." - (PA)