Amanda Platell

Amanda Platell
Born	Amanda Platell 12 November 1957 (1957-11-12) Perth, Australia
Occupation	columnist and television presenter
Spouse(s)	John Chenery (div)
Nationality	Australian

Amanda Jane Platell (born 12 November 1957, Perth, Western Australia) is a British-based Australian journalist, and from 1999 to 2001 was the press secretary to William Hague, the then leader of the British Conservative Party.

Early life

The daughter of a journalist father who worked on The West Australian, after graduating with an Honours Degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Western Australia, her first job was in 1978 when she joined the Perth Daily News.

Early UK career

After starting out on a backpacking tour of the world with her fiancee John Chenery, she arrived in London in 1985. Aiming to earn enough money to return home, she worked as a freelance for publications including The Observer Magazine and the Sunday Express.

Asked to join the start-up team of Today, she then joined Robert Maxwell's short-lived London Daily News, before returning under Today editor David Montgomery in 1987 as deputy editor. In 1993 she was appointed managing editor of Mirror Group, then moved in the same year to The Independent, initially as marketing director and then managing director.

In 1996 she joined the Sunday Mirror as acting editor, where she was the superior of Labour party's former director of communications, Alastair Campbell. In 1998 she was appointed acting editor of the Sunday Express, a position she was sacked from by Rosie Boycott following the publication of details of Peter Mandelson's gay relationship with his Brazilian partner.

In 1999, Platell published a novel Scandal, which focused on women in the newspaper industry. "Two editors, one paper, may the best woman win" was how the cover summarised the plot.

Conservative spin doctor

In 1999, Platell took the role of 'spin doctor' to William Hague. She sought to present Hague as a more mature and rounded character, even on one occasion writing one of his speeches with left-wing journalist Francis Wheen. Michael Portillo returned to parliament in 1999 and was subsequently admitted into the shadow cabinet as shadow Chancellor in 2000. Portillo immediately asserted his authority on the post, reversing in an instant several years of Conservative opposition to the minimum wage and independence for the Bank of England. This move was the first step towards increasing acrimony between Hague and his shadow Chancellor and by the time of the 2001 general election Platell was fighting a bitter battle with Portillo's supporters and later (after Hague had resigned) publicly endorsed Iain Duncan Smith in opposition to Portillo.

Following the Labour party's second landslide victory in 2001, both Hague and Platell resigned from their posts. In July 2001 Unspun - Amanda Platell's Secret Diary was broadcast which had been recorded each night during the election campaign - the secret nature of this film meant she was attacked by many Conservatives for allegedly betraying the campaign.

Current media career

Platell returned to her media career, starting a television career through appearing both as a commentator and presenter on the Sky News programme Littlejohn. She later co-hosted a series on Channel 4 with Piers Morgan.

From 2002 she contributed as a freelancer to the Daily Mail, and began a featured column in the New Statesman magazine, mainly about the media. From 2007 Paul Dacre appointed her to a permanent contract with the Daily Mail, presently through her column "Platell's People" which appears on Saturdays. She also contributes a column on Wednesdays to Guardian, entitled a "Voice From the Right".

On November 21st, 2011, at the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the British press, Platell was accused by Hugh Grant of a "hatchet job" on his recent fatherhood following an article she wrote for the Daily Mail.

On December 10th, 2011, the Daily Mail published an article in which Platell stated that Justice Secretary Ken Clarke announces he is cracking down on crimes against transgenders [sic], and doubling the minimum jail term for murderers motivated by the hatred of transgenders to 30 years, and raised the case of David Askew, a 64-year old man with learning difficulties who collapsed and died whilst confronting anti-social youths. Platell went on to assert that There are only a few thousand transgenders in the UK. In contrast, there are more than 1.5 million vulnerable people with learning difficulties like Mr Askew. So why is no legislation brought forward to protect them as well? Such legislation had already been in place for eight years, under section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Television

• Unspin: Amanda Platell's Secret Video Diary – Channel 4, 2001
• Morgan & Platell - Channel 4, 2004–2005
• Prime Ministers Spouses – Channel 4, 2005
• Crisis Command: Could You Run The Country? - BBC, 2004
• Bee in Your Bonnet - BBC Two, 2004
• How Euro Are You? - BBC, 2005
• Richard & Judy - Channel 4, 2001-2007 Regular Commentator
• The Daily Politics – BBC Two
• Question Time - BBC One, Panellist 1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
• The Apprentice, You're fired - a guest panellist - BBC2 2008, 2009, 2010
• The Andrew Marr Show (2005-)..... Herself - Regular Newspaper Reviewer
• The Alan Titchmarsh Show (2007-)..... Herself - Occasional Discussion Contributor
• This Morning (2009—)..... Herself - Occasional Newspaper Reviewer

External links

• "Amanda Platell: Nobody's fool" profile at BBC
• "The Fern Britton gastric band furore" The Fern Britton gastric band furore

Media offices
Preceded by Jonathan Holborow	Deputy Editor of Today 1987–1992	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Tessa Hilton	Acting Editor of the Sunday Mirror 1996–1997	Succeeded by Bridget Rowe
Preceded by Richard Addis	Editor of the Sunday Express 1998–1999	Succeeded by Michael Pilgrim