Isaac Levido
Isaac Levido | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1983 Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Political consultant |
Isaac Levido OBE (born 1982 or 1983[1]) is an Australian political strategist who was the head of the British Conservative Party's successful campaign in the 2019 United Kingdom general election.
Early life
Levido was raised in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. The eldest of three boys, his father, Justin, was a local councillor who inculcated in the junior Levido a love for politics at a young age.[1] He studied at the Port Macquarie-based St Agnes' Primary School, St Joseph's Regional and MacKillop College, furthering his education in Canberra and the United States at Georgetown University.[1]
Career
While in the United States, Levido worked on several Republican campaigns for U.S. Senate.[1] He was a protégé of Sir Lynton Crosby,[2] whom he had met while working for the Conservative Party's 2015 general election campaign.[1] Levido was then hired by Crosby's consultancy CTF Partners and was in charge of running its office in Washington, D.C.[3]
Levido was also involved in the party's 2017 general election campaign, as well as Zac Goldsmith's campaign during the 2016 London mayoral election.[4] During the 2019 Australian federal election, he was a deputy of the campaign director for the Liberal Party of Australia, Andrew Hirst.[5][6][7][8][9] Levido headed the Conservative Party's successful campaign in the 2019 United Kingdom general election.[10][11]
In March 2020, Levido was tasked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to improve the government's coronavirus-related messaging; Levido is credited with coming up the slogan, "Stay At Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives". In May 2020, he moved into an office in Downing Street to work on a snappy slogan for the easing of the UK Government's coronavirus restrictions. When Dominic Cummings, the Chief Adviser to Johnson, was infected with coronavirus in March 2020, it had already been decided that Mr Levido would temporarily take his place.[12]
Levido left Downing Street in July 2020 to found Fleetwood Strategy. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for political service.[13] He is currently working with Rishi Sunak on the Conservative Party's strategy in the next United Kingdom general election,[14] the New Statesman named him as the fifteenth most powerful right-wing figure in the UK in 2023.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d e Mascarenhas, Carla (18 December 2019). "Port Macquarie's Isaac Levido orchestrates Boris Johnson's stunning UK election win". Canberra Times.
- ^ Bourke, Latika (7 August 2019). "Australian Liberal Party strategist to run Boris Johnson's election campaign". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Blanchard, Jack (16 August 2019). "POLITICO London Playbook, presented by The Wine and Spirit Trade Association: Tory election scoop — Scarborough fare — May's golden goodbyes". Politico.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (7 May 2020). "Boris Johnson's Aussie election guru Isaac Levido moves into Downing St". The Australian.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (2 November 2019). "Isaac Levido brings Aussie style to Johnson campaign". The Australian. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (30 October 2019). "Lynton Crosby protege positioned at heart of Tory election machine". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Bennett, Asa (30 October 2019). "Inside the Tory election machine: who the key players are looking to mastermind a Boris election victory and the tactics they will use". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Maguire, Patrick (31 October 2019). "Dominic Cummings says he won't run the Tory election campaign. Here's why". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Bourke, Latika (20 May 2019). "The architect of the Coalition's unlikely victory is 'proof nice guys can win in politics'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Swinford, Steven (14 December 2019). "Election 2019: Isaac Levido secured Tory triumph with skill and sharp slogan". The Times. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Swinford, Steven; Wright, Oliver (2 November 2019). "Dominic Cummings passes election baton to softly spoken Australian Isaac Levido". The Times. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (7 May 2020). "Boris Johnson's Aussie election guru Isaac Levido moves into Downing St". The Australian. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "No. 63135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B13.
- ^ "Tories told to focus on 'narrow path' to election victory". Financial Times. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "The New Statesman's right power list". New Statesman. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.