Steve Hilton

Steve Hilton is the director of strategy for David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. He and his partner Rachel Whetstone are godparents to David Cameron's eldest son Ivan.

Early life

Hilton is the son of Hungarian emigrés called Hircksac,'David's brain' transforms Tory brand, "The Guardian", December 2, 2006 [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/conservatives/story/0,,1962285,00.html] ] who fled their home during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and anglicized their name to Hilton when they settled in Britain. Their son won a scholarship to Christ's Hospital School in Sussex before reading Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford.

Career

After graduating, Hilton joined Conservative Central Office, where he came to know David Cameron and Rachel Whetstone, his future wife and Global VP of Public Affairs and Communications for Google [ [http://www.prweek.com/uk/home/article/813459/Google-moves-quickly-replace-comms-chief/ Google moves quickly to replace comms chief - PRWeek UK ] ] . He liaised with the party's favourite advertising firm, Saatchi and Saatchi, and was praised by Maurice Saatchi, who remarked, "No one reminds me as much of me when young as Steve." It is alleged that Hilton said "I voted Green" after the Labour landslide of 2001, but since then he has worked with Cameron to re-brand the Conservative party as green and progressive. A member of Tony Blair's inner circle said: 'Were it not for what the Soviets did to his parents, Steve would be one of us,' this has led some to believe that it is his hatred for communism that informs his politics, rather than any instinctive love of the Conservative Party.

References

3. Cameron The rise of the New Conservative, Elliot & Hanning

External links

* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2103339,00.html Power couple behind the new Tory throne] from the "Sunday Times".