Former Blair spin doctor to publish diaries in July

LONDON: The memoirs of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, are to hit the bookshops in Britain on July 9, publisher Random House said on Tuesday.   

The diaries -- kept from mid-1994 when Blair became Labour leader, to late 2003 when Campbell resigned -- could shed fresh light on the inside story around issues such as the divisive Iraq war.   

Random House has described "The Blair Years" as "the political publishing event of the decade" and their release will come just over two weeks after Blair leaves office following 10 years in power.   

The timing could cause a headache for Blair's likely successor, finance minister Gordon Brown, during his first days in office as he and Campbell reportedly had a stormy relationship.   

About Blair Campbell has said he hopes the journals will paint a "rounded picture of a man of enormous drive and vision, who has been determined to use his time in power to make a difference and has brought about a lot of change for the better."   

"The diary records what I saw, said, heard, thought, felt and did during many of the key moments of his leadership," he told London's Evening Standard in March.   

"There will be many voices giving their views and experiences as the first historical judgment of the prime minister is shaped and I want to make my contribution."   

The existence of Campbell's diaries emerged during the inquiry into the death of British chemical weapons expert David Kelly, who had disputed government claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.   

Campbell, is a former political editor at the Daily Mirror newspaper and was well known for his iron grip on media management as well as for his volatile temperament.   

His partner, Fiona Millar, was a special adviser to Blair's wife, Cherie.   

He had been widely expected to serialise the book in a national newspaper but has refused such a deal, Random House said.