‘Safe pair of hands’ Slack was never far away when PM needed to make a key decision
As the prime minister’s official spokesman, James Slack was one of Boris Johnson’s most trusted sounding boards during the pandemic. Along with Lee Cain, Mr Johnson’s communications secretary, and Dominic Cummings, his chief adviser, he was never far from the prime minister’s side and his input helped to shape key decisions dictating people’s freedoms. Mr Slack had no background in science, behavioural psychology or even PR, but Mr Johnson would rarely make a move without first consulting “Slackey”, “Caino” and “Dom”.
His main role in the pandemic was to brief the media twice a day, and it was he who updated the waiting world on Mr Johnson’s condition as he fought for his life in intensive care.
Mr Slack told ministers and advisers on March 8 2020, that not instigating a national lockdown was out of touch with public opinion.
He wrote: “I think we’re heading towards general pressure over why our measures are relatively light touch compared to other countries. Also why we aren’t isolating/screening people coming back from Italy. We’ll need to explain very calmly that we’re doing what actually works.”
Three days earlier he and Mr Cummings had a Whatsapp conversation about Mr Johnson telling the public it was “business as usual”, to which both of them objected.
Mr Slack told Mr Cummings: “We aren’t telling him to say it. He’ll need to be forcibly stopped.” Mr Cummings replied: “I’ll tell him.”
Like many of his colleagues, Mr Slack had never set out to become a civil servant. He originally wanted to be a sports writer but after studying history and politics at the University of Lancaster he set his sights on political reporting.
He started his career as a local government reporter at the Mansfield Chad newspaper in Nottinghamshire in 1996 and later got his break in Fleet Street. It was while working as the Daily Mail’s home affairs editor that he came to the attention of Theresa May, then the home secretary. In February 2017 Mrs May hired Mr Slack to be her official spokesman, hoping he would improve her public image.
When Mr Johnson came to power in 2019, he kept Mr Slack in his post, regarding him as a safe pair of hands. Crucially, Mr Slack had the trust and respect of political reporters, resulting in damaging stories being spiked or toned down on his say-so. The 47year-old briefly succeeded Mr Cain as communications director at the start of 2021. But his Downing Street career came to an end when The Daily Telegraph revealed he had held his leaving party on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021. Mr Slack, who had taken a job as deputy editor of later apologised for his actions.