London,
23
August
2017
|
09:31
Europe/London

'Never say never' Osborne refuses to rule out politics return in exclusive CIPR interview

Speaking ahead of the Conservative Party Conference, former Chancellor George Osborne has revealed he is open to a return to Parliament, citing a gap in the centre ground of British politics.

In an exclusive interview with the CIPR's Influence magazine the Evening Standard editor said: "There is a real gap in the middle of politics at the moment between the Corbynists and the hard Brexiteers." When asked about the likelihood of a return to politics, the former MP told Influence "I don't rule it out. I never say never."

In the interview, published in September, Osborne opens up on:

  • Brexit: "It has diminished Britain's influence in the world. But now I want to make sure that loss of influence is kept to a minimum."
  • his toughest day as editor: "The morning after the bomb in Manchester...I was confronted with a whole load of photos of dead or injured people, and children in distress. As a parent and a human your reaction is horror."
  • advice for PR professionals: "We are interested in stories that are about overcoming the odds; they are about conflict between two sets of ideas; they are about the unexpected and the entertaining."
  • editorial direction: "A lot of our readers will be interested in Brexit but they also want to know what is happening on Love Island, and you don't need to separate the two."

The latest instalment of Influence also features interviews with Huffington Post Co-Founder, Arianna Huffington and Former SVP of People Operations at Google, Laszlo Bock.

 
Notes to editors

Notes to editors

About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.

The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).