James Purnell

Exits are the hardest thing to get right in politics. James Purnell’s seems sadder than most.

I used to get on well with James. He has a very dry humour that would often help us get through stressful days in the government whips office. Then I resigned in September 2006. Since then we’ve hardly shared a sentence, let alone a joke.  It’s a situation I regret.

When he resigned last year, I felt great empathy for James.  He wouldn’t have appreciated my thoughts at the time but it’s a very lonely thing when you voluntarily leave government, even when the exit is on good terms.  And James, like me, did not leave on good terms. He would have felt miserable and lonely. In the heat of the media crucible, colleagues use harsh language and say things they shouldn’t. Though you know it’s not really meant, it still hurts.

I felt the same for Siobhain McDonagh when she resigned in turbulent circumstances. Siobhain is Labour. Labour to her very core. You could see the agony on her face when she did TV interviews.

Back to James. He’ll be missed. I’m not surprised to see him depart Westminster whilst he’s still young enough to make a difference in his next endeavour.  I hope he does something dramatic and big in the arts. But whatever he chooses to do, I wish him well. And perhaps one day, we can share wry observations on the absurd aspects of politics and the media again.