Derek Draper back to rescue Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown appears to be grasping at any old straw that comes his way. Derek Draper (pictured), the former (and disgraced) lobbyist, has been enlisted to help out with PR for the Labour Party as it struggles with falling popularity and debts of £20m. Students of New Labour will recall that Draper was once Peter Mandelson’s special advisor, but shortly after Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997 he decided to cash in on his Cabinet contacts, forming the lobby company GPC Market Access. He boasted to an undercover reporter: "There are 17 people who count [in the Labour Party]. And to say I am intimate with every one of them is the understatement of the century", before promising introductions for a plump fee, causing embarrassment to the government and the end of his lobby career.

The appointment has been instigated by Labour’s new general secretary, Ray Collins, who says Draper (nickname:Dolly) will work part-time and will not be paid. According to the Guardian, his duties will apparently include talking to MPs, parliamentary candidates, staff and Labour activists on how the party should communicate its message.

Draper is married to the former GMTV presenter Kate Garraway (on hearing the news that Draper was engaged to Garraway, former Mirror editor Piers Morgan said "If I I'd known the bar was set so low, I'd have had a go myself"). Since his fall from grace, he has worked as a psychotherapist. His website describes him as "experienced at treating emotional and psychological issues including: self-esteem, personal development, depression, anxiety, addictions, self-harm, personality problems and family and relationship concerns". All of which will come in very handy.