There’s nothing as ex as an ex-MP

 

Gavin Ellwood

 

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Also in this section:

• Dress to the Right, Sir? Alex Singleton
• Political Clemency Clemency Burton-Hill
• Where are they now: Walter Sweeney Paul Linford
• They were also MPs: Sir Francis Drake J B Seatrobe
• Political Memoirs – a Second Pension? Keith Simpson
• Total Blag
• Bringing to Book Richard Watts

Ken Livingstone is settling into the after-dinner circuit and life as a local radio DJ. Cherie and Prescott got their biographies out fast. Within weeks Blair was bringing peace to the Middle East and engaged on a global speaking tour that Ken could only dream of. After the first flush of interest has passed, what do politicians and their entourages do next?

 

When they leave office, the vast majority of today’s politicians need money. This has not always been the case. In the last 150 years a substantial majority of national politicians either had wealthy backgrounds, or had successful careers in a profession or business they could return to. However, over the last twenty years we have seen the rise of the professional politician, who may not know another world outside politics. This group often has no recourse other than to rely on their wits, intellect and network to keep the wolf and boredom from the door.

 

The winners are those who reinvent themselves. This is much more difficult than many think. Who would have thought that William Hague would go from national joke to a national treasure? Abroad has often been the route necessary for renewal. Hong Kong and Brussels allowed Chris Patten and Neil Kinnock to achieve success.

My advice, as someone who has been in the headhunting business for the last ten years, is enjoy it while it lasts but make sure you plan ahead. Oh, and a boardroom is a better long term objective than Ramsay's Kitchen.

 

Gavin Ellwood is Director of Ellwood and Atfield