Rishi Sunak’s top spin doctor quits as she says ‘it is right time to move on’

Amber de Botton’s resignation comes a day after Mr Sunak announced minor changes to his ministerial team.

Ms de Botton hailed the professionalism of the staff at No 10 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak’s top spin doctor in Downing Street has quit after less than a year in the job.

Amber de Botton, who had a decade-long career as a broadcast journalist, was hired by the Prime Minister as his director of communications a few days after he entered Downing Street.

Unlike an impartial civil servant, she was a special adviser able to give political advice to ministers, defend the Government’s actions and criticise opposition parties.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the Prime Minister’s director of communications but I have decided it is the right time to move on

Amber de Botton

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms de Botton said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the Prime Minister’s director of communications but I have decided it is the right time to move on.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for his support and his leadership.

“The team he has built around him is dedicated and focused because those are the qualities he inspires. I also want to thank my colleagues – No 10 is a demanding and high pressure place to work – yet the professionalism and talent they display every day is exceptional.”

Ms de Botton was deputy head of politics at Sky News for five years until 2017 and then worked at ITV News as head of politics and then as head of news.

The PA news agency understands she will be replaced by the PM’s press secretary Nerissa Chesterfield.

Ms Chesterfield cut her teeth at the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank before being hired by Mr Sunak to join his communications team in the Treasury early in his tenure as chancellor.

Ms de Botton’s resignation comes a day after Mr Sunak announced minor changes to his ministerial team following the resignation of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who stepped down from frontline politics.

The appointment of Grant Shapps, one of the Prime Minister’s closest cabinet allies, as Defence Secretary was seen a slight reset ahead of the next general election.

Some expect a wider reshuffle in the next coming months.

On Thursday, it was also announced UK Music chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin is to step down from his role after three years to become the PM’s new director of strategy.

Mr Njoku-Goodwin has been at the helm of the trade body since September 2020 and had previously held a number of roles within Government, including acting as an adviser to former minister Matt Hancock and at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.