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{{BLP sources}}{{Use dmy dates}}{{Use British English}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Lance Price
| image = 
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|9|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = Swanley, Kent
| death_date = 
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| known_for =
| alma mater = [[Hertford College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]
| employer = [[BBC]], [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]
| occupation = Journalist, Director of Communications
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| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]
| boards =
| spouse = James Proctor
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}}
'''Lance Price''' (born 3 September 1958) is Chief of Staff to [[Kim Leadbeater]], MP for [[Batley and Spen (UK Parliament constituency)|Batley and Spen]] in the UK. He returned to active politics to help run her [[2021 Batley and Spen by-election|by-election]] campaign,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maguire |first=Kevin |title=Commons Confidential: The Tories' blame game |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2021/07/commons-confidential-tories-blame-game |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref> having worked with her at the Jo Cox Foundation since the murder of her sister, who was MP for the constituency from 2015 to 2016. He is also a writer, broadcaster and political commentator. He was a journalist for the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] from 1981 to 1998, then became [[Special advisers (UK government)|special adviser]] to [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]], eventually assuming the role of Director of Communications for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], coordinating the Labour Party election campaign of 2001. He has published five books, and appears regularly on [[Sky News]] and the [[BBC]]. Price's fourth book, ''[[The Modi Effect]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=The Modi Effect|url=https://www.hodder.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9781473610897|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220124136/https://www.hodder.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9781473610897|archive-date=20 February 2019|accessdate=23 January 2016}}</ref> which details the rise of the [[Indian Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]], was published by [[Hodder & Stoughton]] in 2015.<ref name="waterstones.com">{{Cite web|title=The Modi Effect by Lance Price {{!}} Waterstones|url=https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-modi-effect/lance-price/9781473610910|access-date=2020-06-21|website=www.waterstones.com|language=en}}</ref>

== Education ==
Price was born in [[Swanley]], [[Kent]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/browns-reign-of-terror-at-downing-street-1895807.html|title=Brown's 'reign of terror' at Downing Street|website=The Independent}}</ref> and educated at Blackwell Primary School and [[Sackville School, East Grinstead|Sackville Comprehensive School]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lanceprice.co.uk/biography.htm|title=Biography - LancePrice.co.uk|website=www.lanceprice.co.uk|access-date=2016-05-12}}</ref> He received a [[First Class Honours|First Class degree]] in [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics]] at [[Hertford College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]: here, his early interest for media and journalism was evident in his involvement with the student newspaper, ''[[Cherwell (newspaper)|Cherwell]]''. Whilst studying, Price became involved with the ''[[Birmingham Evening Mail]]'' and maintained an active membership of the Oxford Labour Club.

==BBC journalist==
Price's involvement with the media continued after university, when he joined the [[BBC]] as a News Trainee, working there continuously from 1980 to 1998, taking a minor gap to travel from 1992 to 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lanceprice.co.uk/biography.htm|title=Biography - LancePrice.co.uk|work=lanceprice.co.uk|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> His career at the BBC touched on many topical issues of the time, covering the [[Northern Ireland Troubles]] for three years, then becoming a national radio and television reporter, Defence Correspondent, and finally a Political Correspondent based at Westminster. As political correspondent and beyond, he interviewed every serving prime minister from [[James Callaghan]] to [[Tony Blair]], and was the only journalist in [[Downing Street]] when the resignation of [[Margaret Thatcher]] was announced.

Whilst he was a Defence Correspondent, Price travelled on the first ever non-stop RAF flight from the UK to the Falkland Islands. His other work with the BBC involved presenting programmes on [[BBC Radio Five Live]], the [[BBC News Channel]] and fronting [[BBC Breakfast News]] after the [[1997 Welsh devolution referendum|Welsh devolution referendum]].

==Labour Party==
After seventeen years as a [[BBC]] journalist, he joined [[Tony Blair]]'s staff at [[10 Downing Street]] in 1998, where he was deputy to the Communications Director, [[Alastair Campbell]]. He was promoted to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]'s Director of Communications from 2000 until the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|general election of 2001]], playing a significant role in overseeing the party's victorious campaign.

Price was the first person to coin the phrase 'the nasty party' to describe the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] during his time with Labour. He came up with the phrase while ghost-writing a statement by Tory defector, [[Ivan Massow]], who was joining the party.

==Author==
Price was the co-author and principal photographer for the ''Berlitz Guide to Iceland'', published in 2003, and he maintains an active interest in travel and photography.

Upon leaving the Labour Party, Price published the first insider account of [[Tony Blair]]'s first term as Prime Minister, from 1997 to 2001. ''The Spin Doctor's Diary'' was published in September 2005 by [[Hodder & Stoughton]]. Price appeared before the [[Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee|House of Commons Public Administration Committee]] to answer questions on the reasons for publishing the book; the Committee went on to recommend a new system of oversight for political diaries.

Price's second book was the satirical novel ''Time and Fate'', published in October 2005. This was a "take on what life was like for a family at the top of British politics".<ref name="polperropress.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.polperropress.co.uk/page/book/time_and_fate/|title=time and fate - Polperro Heritage Press, Publisher, Worcestershire|work=polperropress.co.uk|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>

In 2010, he published ''Where the Power Lies'', analysing the relationship between past governments and the media. The book was published before the [[News International phone hacking scandal|phone-hacking scandal of 2010]], and argued that successive British governments had been too close to powerful media interests, including [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s [[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]]. Price called for greater transparency about relationships between journalists and politicians.

On 15 January 2015, Hodder & Stoughton announced Price's fourth book, ''[[The Modi Effect]]'', an account of [[Prime Minister of India|Indian Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]]'s successful [[Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 2014 Indian general election|election campaign in 2014]]. It was described as the "story of Modi's rise to power", which argued that "message-management and IT wizardry combined to create an election winning machine of fascinating power".<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-modi-effect-lance-price/prod9781473610903.html;jsessionid=28E0DB765FAD2597C4BBDFBF5158AB3C |title=Booktopia - The Modi Effect, Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India by Lance Price, 9781473610903. Buy this book online.|work=Booktopia|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> The book was released on 12 March 2015 and received favourable coverage.<ref name="waterstones.com"/>

==Reception==
Lance Price was called to give evidence to a Select Committee of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in January 2006, in response to his first publication of ''The Spin Doctor's Diary''.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1482916.htm Political diary gets mixed reaction in the UK], [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]], 14 October 2005.</ref> The book caused considerable controversy when the British government tried to block its publication.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/jul/19/uk.politicalbooks|title=Ex spin doctor's book faces ban|author=Julian Glover|work=The Guardian|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> He also stated that [[Rupert Murdoch]] was the 24th member of Tony Blair's cabinet.

Despite the initial and ongoing controversy, ''The Spin Doctor's Diary'' was shortlisted for Political Book of the Year in the Channel 4 News Awards of 2006. In 2008, it was named by ''[[GQ Magazine]]'' as one of the top 50 political books of all time. [[Matthew Parris]] of ''[[The Times]]'' called the book "sensational".<ref>{{cite book|title=Spin Doctor's Diary: Amazon.co.uk: Lance Price: 9780340898222: Books|id={{ASIN|0340898224|country=uk}}}}</ref> It was criticised by [[Rafael Behr]] in ''[[The Observer]]'' for not taking us "close enough to the personalities or even the underlying motives of Campbell or Blair". However, [[Sir Stephen Wall]], a former advisor to Blair, said that "Lance Price was right to publish, and should not be damnned".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lanceprice.co.uk/books.htm|title=Books - LancePrice.co.uk|work=lanceprice.co.uk|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> [[Boris Johnson]], the then [[Mayor of London]], reacted in his diary in the ''[[New Statesman]]'': "Lance Price is a turd".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/node/151636/|title=Diary - Boris Johnson|work=newstatesman.com|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>

Price's second book, ''Time and Fate'' received generally favourable reviews: with ''Progress Magazine'' emphasising "The strong characterisation and compelling plotline [which] make ''Time and Fate'' a welcome, gripping page-turner…. a refreshingly engaging [[political fiction|political novel]] in its own right." ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' said it was "the corking political novel that Blair's Britain so badly needs".<ref name="polperropress.co.uk"/>

Price's third book, ''Where Power Lies'', received positive reviews by critics. ''[[The Guardian]]'' described it as "witty, well informed and extremely readable".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/27/where-power-lies-lance-price|title=Where Power Lies: Prime Ministers v The Media by Lance Price|work=The Guardian|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> [[Progress (organisation)|Progress]], a [[Blairism|Blairite]] think-tank, described it as a "thoughtful reflection on the balance of roles between the Prime Ministers and the Media,"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2010/03/04/where-the-power-lies/|title=Where the power lies | work=progressonline.org.uk | accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> regarding its focus on Blair's relationship with the media, and how and why future Labour leaders could draw inspiration from it. [[Rod Liddle]] argued it was "required reading for those on both sides" in the ''[[Sunday Times]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/books/non_fiction/article196796.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222043250/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/books/non_fiction/article196796.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2015|title=Where Power Lies: Prime Ministers v the Media by Lance Price - The Sunday Times|work=thesundaytimes.co.uk|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> [[Total Politics]] reviewer Peter Riddle surmises that Price places the media question "firmly in its historical context".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.totalpolitics.com/print/4108/book-reviews-spinning-around-for-a-long-time.thtml|title=Book Reviews: Spinning around for a long time|work=totalpolitics.com|accessdate=22 February 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222054100/http://www.totalpolitics.com/print/4108/book-reviews-spinning-around-for-a-long-time.thtml|archivedate=22 February 2015}}</ref> ''[[The Financial Times]]'''s [[John Lloyd (journalist)|John Lloyd]] described the book as an "elegant and well grounded survey of relations between premieres and the press in the UK over the past century".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1c8e6940-1ce5-11df-aef7-00144feab49a.html|title=Power and the press|work=Financial Times|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>

Price's fourth book, ''[[The Modi Effect]]'', was a critical assessment of the first election campaign of the Indian Prime minister, although Price made clear he would not have voted for Modi if he had been able to vote himself. The ''[[Times of India]]'' wrote that Price had "written the definitive account of the campaign that got Modi to where he is now. He tells a good story".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/lance-price-3/the-modi-effect/9781473610910/|title=The Modi Effect by Lance Price - Reviews|work=www.hachette.co.uk|isbn=9781473610910|accessdate=1 September 2021|last1=Price|first1=Lance}}</ref>

Price's fifth book, ''Petrified'', was a children's story; he donated the proceeds to the Jo Cox Foundation.

==Broadcaster, lecturer and political commentator==
Since leaving the employment of the Labour Party, Price has become an observer of [[British politics]] and world affairs, retaining his membership of the party, as he confirmed during an interview on [[BBC Radio 5 Live|BBC Radio 5]] with [[Richard Bacon (broadcaster)|Richard Bacon]] on 11 February 2010.

Price is a regular commentator on British and world politics on the [[BBC News (TV channel)|BBC News Channel]], [[Sky News]], [[BBC Radio]] and other outlets. Since leaving politics, he has appeared as a panellist on the BBC's ''[[Question Time (TV programme)|Question Time]]'', and been interviewed on all leading news and current affairs programmes, including ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'', ''[[Newsnight]]'', ''[[Channel Four News]]'' and ''[[Dispatches (TV programme)|Dispatches]]'', ''[[The Today Programme]]'', ''[[The World at One]]'', ''[[PM (BBC Radio 4)|PM]]'' and ''[[The World Tonight]]''. He broadcasts regularly on the BBC and other British TV and radio outlets, and is a regular contributor to [[CBS News]]' ''London Comment''.

Price has written for many newspapers and magazines including ''[[The Guardian]]'', ''[[The Independent|Independent]]'', ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Sunday Times]]'', ''The [[Sunday Mirror]]'', ''[[GQ]]'' and the ''[[New Statesman]]''. He is also an occasional contributor to the ''[[Australian Financial Review]]''.

Price was a panellist during the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]] campaign for the BBC News Channel and ''The World Tonight'' on [[BBC Radio 4]]. He has taken an increasingly independent line on political affairs, and was one of the first to call for [[Gordon Brown]] to step down as Prime Minister after Labour's election defeat in May 2010.

In September 2014, he published an article in the ''Independent'' criticising the then Labour leader [[Ed Miliband]]'s perceived paranoia of [[Tony Blair]], and attacking his often "too late" communication style.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/ed-miliband-is-so-scared-of-becoming-tony-blair-he-has-forgotten-how-to-communicate-9748613.html|title=Ed Miliband is so scared of becoming Tony Blair he has forgotten how to communicate|work=The Independent|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>

In recent years, Price has lectured at the [[University of Westminster|Westminster University]], [[CELSA Paris|CELSA]] and [[Sorbonne University|Sorbonne]] in Paris, [[Westminster Foundation for Democracy|The Westminster Foundation]], [[Tsinghua University]] in Beijing, [[International School of Toulouse|The International School in Toulouse]], the [[Qatar Foundation]] and [[Department of Journalism, City University|City University Journalism School]]. He has spoken at the [[Edinburgh Television Festival]], ''The Guardian'' [[Hay Festival|Hay on Wye Festival]], The Inverness Book Fair, the John Smith Trust and The Norwegian Public Relations Association. He has also debated motions on politics and journalism at [[The Oxford Union]], [[The Durham Union]] and [[Intelligence Squared]].

==The Kaleidoscope Trust==
In September 2011, Price launched [[The Kaleidoscope Trust]], a UK-based organisation that aims to improve [[LGBT]] rights overseas. The Trust aims to work with existing LGBT rights groups in order to advance their respective campaigns.<ref>Saeed Kamali Dehghan, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/12/kaleidoscope-tackles-homophobic-violence 'Africa and Middle East in spotlight as group launched to tackle homophobia'], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 12 September 2011</ref> The launch was hosted by [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] [[John Bercow]] MP, who acknowledged the "global challenge" with regard to advancing LGBT rights outside of the UK.

[[David Cameron]], the then [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], endorsed the project: "In some countries, it's simply appalling how people can be treated – how their rights are trampled on and the prejudices, and even violence, they suffer. So I want Britain to be a global beacon for reform. That's why I am delighted to send my best wishes to Kaleidoscope, and wish them well in their work".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/09/12/new-charity-kaleidoscope-to-support-gays-and-lesbians-abroad/|title=David Cameron backs new international gay rights charity|work=PinkNews|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>

Labour's [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]], [[Ed Miliband]], described the Trust as "an incredibly important initiative".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kaleidoscopetrust.com/Press/Kaleidoscope-press-release-14-9-11.pdf|title=News Release: Commons Speaker Launches Kaleidoscope|accessdate=14 September 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402120818/http://www.kaleidoscopetrust.com/Press/Kaleidoscope-press-release-14-9-11.pdf|archivedate=2 April 2012}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Lance Price is married to James Proctor, and splits his time between Yorkshire and London.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.lanceprice.co.uk/ LancePrice.co.uk - official website]
*[http://www.fljs.org/content/director-communications-describes-unhealthy-relationship-between-government-and-media Director of Communications describes unhealthy relationship between government and the media Lance Price speaks at a Foundation for Law, Justice and Society Conference, Oxford]
*[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1c8e6940-1ce5-11df-aef7-00144feab49a.html Financial Times review on Lance Price and his role in the Power and Press Debate]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lanceprice Guardian Profile of Lance Price]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121012073453/http://www.independent.co.uk/biography/lance-price-8192971.html The Independent profile of Lance Price]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Lance}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists]]
[[Category:British public relations people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford]]
[[Category:The Independent people]]
[[Category:The Guardian people]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) officials]]
[[Category:British special advisers]]
[[Category:People from Swanley]]
[[Category:People educated at Sackville School, East Grinstead]]
[[Category:English LGBT politicians]]
[[Category:British gay writers]]
[[Category:British republicans]]

Lance Price - Revision history

Masroor: Published a new page draft.