It was one of the biggest upsets in British political history. Few but the most wildly optimistic Jeremy Corbyn supporters predicted Theresa May would lose her majority in June’s snap election, so the 10pm exit poll forecasting a hung parliament sent politicians, advisers and journalists into meltdown. The prime minister was not the sole architect of her near-downfall, of course – she was surrounded by a band of advisers with decades of electoral experience. Since that night, some have been more prominent and upfront about their role than others. What has happened to the people who helped to throw away the first Conservative-majority government in 20 years?
Nick Timothy
One of the PM’s all-powerful joint chiefs of staff before he resigned after the election. Timothy had overseen the Conservative manifesto, which contained the doomed “dementia tax” policy partially blamed for the Tories losing seats to Labour. Since his resignation, he has been on a journey, shaving off his Tsar-esque beard and, in columns for the Daily Telegraph and the Sun, admitting to mistakes made in the election, including letting the campaign become too presidential. Out of office, Timothy has continued to be a proponent of Mayism, including her version of Brexit.
Fiona Hill
The PM’s other chief of staff before she resigned with Timothy. Hill ran No 10 and access to May with a rod of iron, tried to stop Ruth Davidson running a distinctive campaign for the Scottish Tories, and attempted to undo anything associated with the Cameron/Osborne regime, including the Northern Powerhouse. Davidson was proved right, with the Scottish Conservatives the only success story of election night. Hill was also expert at political optics and would have prevented May’s mishap-laden conference speech. She has gone to ground since leaving No 10, and is believed to have spent time in New York.
Lynton Crosby
The “Wizard of Aus” behind the electoral successes of David Cameron and Boris Johnson as London mayor lost some of his magic in June. Crosby had been drafted in to help run the campaign, but clashed with Timothy over strategy. He is blamed for the presidential style of the campaign, which put too much focus on May being “strong and stable”, a slogan which has haunted the PM to this day. It has also since emerged that Crosby wrote a memo in April warning May not to call a snap election. In October, it was reported that he had been hired by Amber Rudd, fuelling speculation she will mount a leadership bid when May steps down.
Ben Gummer
A rising-star Tory MP under David Cameron, he was minister for the Cabinet Office and May’s chief policy adviser when he was appointed to help write, with Timothy, the 2017 Tory manifesto. Gummer, who was against a snap election, feared the Conservative poll lead was not as solid as it seemed. He was right, and lost his Ipswich seat, which may not have happened if he had not been busy at CCHQ. But his year may end on a more positive note: Gummer is in line for a Conservative peerage.
Jim Messina
Like Crosby, Messina was a veteran of electoral success, having helped Barack Obama win in 2008 and 2012. Yet he could not save May from losing her majority. Was it all the PM’s fault, however? During the campaign, Messina, an expert in data, refused to believe opinion polls suggesting a Labour surge, tweeting: “Spent the day laughing at yet another stupid poll.” According to Tim Shipman’s book Fall Out, Messina believed May was not ready to fight an election and compared her to Sarah Palin. He has since set up a new digital marketing company with Crosby called Outra.
