Sebastian Payne

Ukip hires BBC’s Paul ‘Gobby’ Lambert as new Director of Communications

Ukip has announced that BBC political producer Paul Lambert will be the party’s new Director of Communications. Ukip has offered the job to various prominent figures but it has not been filled full-time since Patrick O’Flynn, another media defector, was elected as an MEP in May.

Lambert is one of the most well-known journalists in Westminster, usually found outside Downing Street heckling ministers with awkward questions, hence his nickname of Gobby.

Bringing in an experienced Westminster journalist like Lambert is another sign that Ukip are attempting to beef up and professionalise their media operation. It’s unlikely Lambert would allow ill-conveived events like the Ukip Carnival to take place.

In a statement, Lambert said he believes ‘Ukip is today the place to be if you want to be a part of a party that is changing the face of British politics for the better, and providing a new, clear and honest voice’:

‘Over the past few years I have been following the work of UKIP and Nigel Farage and I feel that he is changing British politics for the better.

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