Honest 'Canny Danny' not known for spinning
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Until yesterday, Dan Corry's main claim to fame was for being the special adviser to Stephen Byers who was very much not Jo Moore.
Though it may be difficult to believe in the light of his e-mail, Mr Corry was well known throughout Whitehall and the Labour Party as being "anti-spin"; a "straight" policy wonk who didn't dabble in the darker arts of his colleague. "Canny Danny", as he was known to friends, was described even by his enemies as shrewd and totally honest. "He has integrity running through him like the word Brighton runs through rock," said one colleague.
"This is just so out of character. It's not his style," said one former minister last night.
Having studied philosophy, politics and economics at University College, Oxford, the 42-year-old Mr Corry worked as an economist at the Treasury before becoming the head of Labour's economic secretariat in 1989. He remained in the Labour job, advising John Smith, the former leader, and Margaret Beckett, who was then shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, until 1992.
Mr Corry became economics chief at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and was the natural choice to join the new government team in 1997 as a special adviser to Mrs Beckett at the Department for Trade and Industry.
His expertise and affability endeared him to civil servants and ministers alike and it was no surprise that he was retained by both Peter Mandelson and Stephen Byers when they arrived at the DTI. But it was Mr Corry's closeness to Mr Byers that persuaded him to follow the Secretary of State when he moved to Transport in 2001.
An avid Chelsea fan, Mr Corry played for Demon Eyes, the football team made up of Downing Street staff and Labour spin doctors. He even wrote a book in 1993 titled A Game Without Vision: The Crisis in English Football, and it was no surprise that last night he was not in Britain but Japan, ready to watch England.
A father of two, he was held in high regard in his local Labour Party in Lambeth as ready to leaflet and canvass at all elections.
Mr Corry was a bit player in Ms Moore's demise, having been among the recipients of the infamous e-mail declaring that 11 September was "now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury".
Until yesterday, he would have been best remembered for his policy advice, having taken a leading role in the decision to put Railtrack into administration last year. Mr Corry helped develop the idea, based on proposals by the IPPR's senior research fellow, Tony Grayling.
Such was the sensitivity about Mr Byers' interest that an IPPR seminar about Railtrack's future had to be renamed. The seminar, on 19 September, was to have been called A Not-For-Profit Railtrack? But Mr Corry, keen not to alert outsiders, said he could not attend unless the title was changed. It was renamed Not-For-Profit Models In Private Enterprise.
He may not have been a spin doctor, but Dan Corry's loyalty to the Labour cause meant he was not averse to his own bit of presentation.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments