Memorial Service: Lord Bell

Top Tory Michaels – Heseltine, Howard and Portillo – were at St Paul’s, Knightsbridge, to celebrate the life of Margaret Thatcher’s first spin doctor, Tim Bell. Bell is often said to have won the 1979 election with his Saatchi & Saatchi slogan ‘Labour Isn’t Working’. Former Bishop of London Lord Chartres gave the bidding at the start of the service, and a blessing at the end.

‘No one could tell me where the label “spin doctor” originated, but my research confirmed that he was the very first,’ said another peer, Michael Grade, former Chairman of the BBC. ‘To Guardian readers it was an insult, but to Tim it was a badge of honour. He was so proud to be the first spin doctor. Many have followed; none has surpassed.

‘He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was blessed, however, with a silver tongue and he made full use of this gift, as we all know. He talked his way from his first job as an office boy at the old ITV television company ABC … through various advertising and marketing companies to a job in the new Saatchi agency.

‘He enjoyed the good life, fine food, fine wine and fine food and fine clothes, but in the early days didn’t have a salary that matched his tastes. So he bought his clothes in shops that sounded like restaurants and put them on his expenses. Eventually he was summoned by the finance director who said, “Mr Bell, I see you have eaten a mohair suit at Herbie Frogg.” ’ Grade continued, ‘He was a superb raconteur and once told Norman St John Stevas he must stop name-dropping. “I quite agree,” said Stevas, “as I was telling the Queen Mother only this morning.” ’

David Young, former Secretary of State for Employment and later for Trade and Industry, said he got to know Bell when Young became Keith Joseph’s special adviser at the Industry Department:

‘I was in the front line on the political issue of the day [unemployment]. Almost immediately, I got into trouble and turned again to Tim. He had an intuition, a real gift, for knowing what would persuade.’

Bell’s son Harry, daughter Daisy and stepdaughter Tigony read his favourite poem, Rudyard Kipling’s If – also Margaret Thatcher’s favourite.