Alastair Campbell takes PR job with Downing St colleagues This is understood to be his first formal, permanent role, and will take up "a considerable chunk" of his working week. He will concentrate on strategic corporate communications, crisis management work and advising his less experienced colleagues on the Portland team. He will join Michael Portillo, former Conservative cabinet member and political commentator, who was employed by the company in 2009 as an advisor. Mr Campbell said: "I'm not sure when I was in No 10 that I ever thought I would be working alongside Michael Portillo but then I think even Michael will admit he's changed his outlook more than I have." Portland PR is also home to former Downing Street employees including Steve Morris, Martin Sheehan, David Bradshaw and Mark Flanagan. The company counts McDonalds, Google, Virgin media, Facebook, Tesco and GlaxoSmithKline among its clients and and is reported to have been valued at £10m. Tim Allan told PRWeek: "Alastair has a huge strategic brain and an extraordinary ability to make things happen. He brings our clients truly world class strategic advice and is an invaluable coach and mentor to our team. His new colleague George Pascoe Watson, formerly of the Sun, gave a clue as to Mr Campbell's acceptance earlier this week when he tweeted: "Unusual days in the office: @campbellclaret playing Chariots of Fire on his bagpipes at my desk." Mr Campbell worked as Director of Communications and Strategy for Tony Blair between 1997 and 2003.