MHP Communications has strengthened its public affairs expertise with the appointment of Tom Hamilton, a former senior advisor to Labour deputy leader Tom Watson.

Hamilton brings 10 years of experience working for the Labour Party, first in the Labour HQ policy team where he was head of research and then head of briefing, and most recently as Watson’s head of policy.

An experienced policy advisor and speechwriter, Hamilton was responsible for preparing Ed Miliband, Harriet Harman and Jeremy Corbyn for Prime Minister's Questions between 2010 and 2016. He is also the co-author of 'Punch & Judy Politics: An Insiders’ Guide to Prime Minister’s Questions,' published earlier this year.

Watson will report to James Gurling and Jamie Lyons, joint heads of MHP’s public affairs practice, who have won a significant number of clients this year, including Nationwide, Southern Water and ATOS. These wins came after Lyons and Gurling won a pitch to keep telecommunications giant Huawei, one of the agency’s key public affairs clients.

Hamilton says, “I’m delighted to be joining MHP at such an exciting time. MHP is clearly an agency destined for big things and I can’t wait to be part of their journey."

Lyons adds,  “Clients are increasingly asking what a Labour government would mean for their businesses. As one of the most experienced and recent Labour advisers working in our industry, there is nobody better placed to tell them. Tom is joining MHP at a great time. We are growing rapidly, winning a host of exciting new clients and investing in a number of major new hires to further strengthen our team.”