Exclusive! The bits Campbell left out

WEDNESDAY 27 JULY, 1994

I GET THE JOB!

TB called and asked me to go and see him in the Shadow Cabinet room. He needed a really good press secretary he said, someone who understood politics and the media. Somebody tough and confident who didn't like Gordon. "They don't grow on trees," I said. "No", he replied, "so I wondered if you had any ideas." TB can be very subtle, but I knew what he was after. I said, I'm not sure if I can do it. I've a massive ego, I don't suffer fools, I'm hopeless at biting my tongue and my natural modesty sometimes creates problems. I know, he said, but the bloke at The Sunday Times has turned it down, so you'll have to do it.

TUESDAY 11 AUGUST, 1994

DON'T TAKE IT, SAYS KINNOCK!

Told Neil about my chat with Tony, and he said I'd be absolutely fucking mad. Why live your life at the beck and call of a bunch of shits when you could be writing additional dialogue for Jeremy Paxman, helping out on The Guardian subs desk, whatever you want? But not all journalists are shits, I told him. No, he said, I mean fucking politicians.

Later TB said he was worried that Gordon thought I was hostile to him. I said no, it was all exaggerated, the reason his name got left off the Shadow Cabinet election ballot was that two sheets of paper got stuck together. TB said had I noticed how Gordon gobbled his sandwiches at lunch, whereas Peter M takes dainty little bites from his and sweeps up the crumbs in a little heap on the table. Tony can be very perceptive about his colleagues.

WEDNESDAY 3 MAY, 1995

A MEETING WITH A CERTAIN LADY!

Great excitement as Robin C was said to be probing about Margaret B, and wanting to know if it was true that "Nobby" was out of favour with Clare S about the B&Q , not to mention the problem of the ATM. I told TB I intended to find out who all these people are as soon as possible. Leaving the party at Hyde Park Gardens, I went back to the car and the next thing TB is tapping on the window saying, "Someone wants to see you." I get out and she's walking towards me, drop- dead gorgeous, a real stunner, much nicer than the birds you see in The Sun. I mumbled something about it being nice for her to meet me and she held out her hand, which turned out to have a carrier bag in it, and said: "I'd really like these back from the dry cleaner's tomorrow if you don't mind."

I could see TB was a bit put out by our conversation, but modestly declined to draw attention to it - I know from experience that he can be sensitive about these things. But really impressed by Princess Diana's sense of humour. More trouble with Gordon, who was furious about the fire alarm going off during his conference speech. I explained that I was standing with my back to the wall and hadn't noticed I'd leant against the button. He seemed to accept this.

WEDNESDAY 6 DEC 1995

A SHADOW CABINET CRISIS

Ran into Gordon in the corridor and he cut me dead, which surprised me. Later, when I was dictating the next day's Mirror leader to the editor, he rang and said: "When you were handing round the tea at the Shadow Cabinet meeting, I know for a fact that you put two sugars in mine instead of one." "That's not true," I said. "John P was standing next to me at the time, and he can confirm it." "OK," he said, "I accept your denial." I said, "You have to believe it, or we have a problem." In fact - I later swore TB to secrecy about this - I did put two sugars in his tea. Large ones as well. Sometimes in politics you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

JULY 1996

WITH MURDOCH IN AUSTRALIA

To Hayman Island for the News Corporation conference. Mr Murdoch all smiles and very courteous and welcoming, said to TB "Hiya Terry. It's a real shame Mrs Thatcher couldn't make it, but give her my regards." An extraordinary place. Sea extremely blue, water, I discovered, very wet, sun hot, servants speaking English rather than Australian. We had a valet called Glenn who was clearly thrilled to be looking after me "and your friend here". "Is he a politician too?" Glenn asked.

Up early after next to no sleep, I went down to the business centre and bumped into Murdoch. I tried to prise him open a bit about his views on New Labour but despite the twinkle in his eye he was pretty reserved. "You can get me a large gin and tonic," he answered. "No ice, and bloody well look sharp about it." TB says he can be very cross at times, so I thought our meeting went pretty well.

12 FEBRUARY 1997

UNDER-ESTIMATING GORDON

Gordon was on Today, and did pretty well considering how fucking crap and disloyal he is, even managed to get in all the stuff I'd told him to say about Peter M without losing his temper. TB said to me "You under-estimate Gordon sometimes, he is really a very considerable politician." TB is under a lot of strain at the moment. We decided that, as a special treat for being on-message, Gordon could talk to the TUC about Clause Four and do his ventriloquist's turn at the PLP concert.