Peter Cardwell
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Political Editor and Presenter at TalkRadio
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Author of The Secret Life of Special Advisers
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Served as special adviser in the UK Government for three and a half years
Peter Cardwell has had a unique career. He has been sacked by Dominic Cummings in 10 Downing Street, flirted with Cate Blanchett on air, and been sneered at by Piers Morgan for four and a half minutes on national television. He has advised four Cabinet ministers in four different government department, and presented hundreds of hours of radio and television.
In 2016 after ten years as a journalist, he became a special adviser in government, in four departments successively: the Northern Ireland Office; the Home Office; the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; and the Ministry of Justice. After being sacked, he wrote a book, The Secret Life of Special Advisers, which outlines how government really works on the inside, as well as tales of a Cabinet minister twerking to Stormzy, another who disappears from her ministerial office for one afternoon a month to get Botox, and what it’s like to be asked about why your boss has four ovens continuously by the media over an eight-day period. The book was serialised in the Mail on Sunday.
After growing up in Northern Ireland and doing his degree at Oxford, for 10 years he was a reporter and producer. His first job was writing questions for Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight and he worked in a variety of roles at the BBC in Washington, including covering the Obama election in 2008, as well as in New York, Belfast and London/Westminster.
In addition to being Talk Radio’s political editor and a presenter at the station, Peter frequently comments on politics on outlets including The Today Programme, Channel 4 News and ITV News At Ten, as well as writing for outlets including The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator and Politico.
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Informed, in-depth and witty, Peter's speech brought the political situation and his own experiences in both politics and journalism alive for 350 delegates at the annual conference of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors. I knew Peter's easy and accessible style from TalkTV before booking him and he was the ideal speaker to communicate the complex world of politics to a general audience. He was also very easy to deal with: straightforward, communicated brilliantly and was totally reliable. I would recommend Peter to any organisation looking for a speaker or presenter on current affairs and politics. As an experienced broadcaster he would also make an ideal host.
From the start of the process to the end of the event, Peter was friendly, accommodating and utterly professional. His many years of political, journalistic and presenting experience made him the ideal chair for our event. He listened to our top-level speakers, his interactions both informed and with a lightness of touch, bringing insight, knowledge and humour to proceedings. I would have no hesitation in recommending him for future events, and we will certainly use him again for ours.
Peter could not have been easier or more agreeable to deal with and, when he arrived at the dinner, he moved easily and comfortably with the members and their guests, showing himself to be at ease in their company. When the time came for him to address the company, Peter spoke fluently, clearly and confidently, his voice carrying easily across the room and, while he made some serious points about the role and responsibilities of a special adviser, he laced them with humorous anecdotes without ever being indiscreet. His address was very well received, many of our members reporting that they found it very interesting and informative and, at the same time, entertaining. Tellingly, the only criticism offered came from those who would have liked Peter to speak for longer, not something that we hear every year!
How to book Peter Cardwell for your event
To book Peter Cardwell, please submit an online enquiry to booking.agent@nmp.co.uk or contact one of our booking agents on +44 (0)20 3822 0003.
Award-winning columnist and Associate Editor of The Times
One of the most recognised faces and voices in British broadcasting
TALK Radio broadcaster and former Sunday Express Political Editor
Chief Political Commentator for the Sunday Times
Political Editor for BBC’s Newsnight. Former European Editor for The Guardian
Political analyst and commentator, former Editor of Politics.co.uk
