Meet the PR guru with the Labour Party in the palm of his hands

How Dan Hughes’ donations and schmoozing have won his clients access and power

Dear readers — it’s been a rather eventful week for Labour. The Party Conference kicked off in Liverpool this week, but instead of glowing press about the new government’s big plans for the country, much of the media were focused on the over £10 million worth of donations made to the MPs in the run up to the election. 

As reported across news outlets all week, this cash was used to buy clothes, family holidays and Taylor Swift tickets for members of the cabinet. And despite what many Labour figures have said since, it is unlikely this money comes from a place of altruism. Instead, it’s used as a tool to influence political figures.

We’ve been taking a look at some of these donations made to MPs — most notably to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. While his links to Liverpool may not be obvious, a look at his donor list shows thousands of pounds from Liverpool PR guru and former political advisor Dan Hughes, alongside other donations from Merseyside companies Hughes himself works for. Hughes’s clients are now more than ever reaping the benefits of the relationships Hughes has fostered with Labour over his 10-year political career; with Labour’s in government, Hughes has a direct line to several MPs and a sitting cabinet member.

There’s nothing illegal about vying for leverage and influence, of course. But Labour sources have told The Post they are concerned about Hughes’ donations, questioning how a man once described as the “Peter Mandelson of Liverpool” has been able to use his political relationships for his own benefit. 

Editor’s note: Stories like this aren’t easy to pull together, with countless hours of research, interviews with sources and late nights digging through documents to substantiate claims. That’s why the support of our paying members is so important to us — each of the 1,700 of you that pay £7 a month help fund the kind of public accountability journalism and in depth analysis that holds leaders of Merseyside and beyond to account. If you’re not a member yet, please hit the button below to join us. Thank you!

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Your Post briefing 

Lime Street Station was subject to a cyber attack yesterday evening, with its WiFi network hijacked as part of a UK-wide incident. Anyone logging into the Network Rail WiFi network was met with a website titled ‘We love you, Europe', containing information about terror attacks with anti-Islamic messages. Liverpool wasn’t alone in the attack, with internet networks at Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Bristol Temple Meads and London Euston also targeted. Network Rail has since suspended its Wi-Fi services as enquiries take place, with British Transport Police investigating the breach. 

Alder Hey Children's Charity has warned of "worsening health and wellbeing" amongst children in Merseyside, with a rising number of diseases in children which "should have been eradicated" – including measles and rickets. Charity CEO Fiona Ashcroft has attributed the rise in disease to inequality, adding it was "limiting the life chances" of children growing across the UK. As a result the charity is launching a campaign called Put Children First, calling for the government to create a "children centred NHS" to address child poverty.

Walton Bowling Club has been the target of numerous attacks by vandals in recent days, with fireworks set off along the bowling green, trophies smashed up and toilets destroyed. The clubhouse, which is owned by Liverpool City Council, houses the historic Walton Hall Bowling Club, which was established over 80 years ago. John Rogers, the secretary of the club, has called the attacks "devastating", adding many memories have been destroyed. 

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By Abi Whistance

On Saturday, as the Labour conference was about to kick off on Liverpool’s docks, an article appeared in the Daily Express about an influential but little-known figure with connections to the party’s top brass. Written by the deputy political editor of the Sunday Express, Jonathan Walker, the story introduced readers to “the new face quietly becoming a key figure behind the scenes for Labour”: Dan Hughes.

The piece quotes an unnamed Labour source who has plenty of positive words about Hughes’ behind-the-scenes string-pulling. They note how he “has brought in major sponsors for various receptions, some of which will be attended by members of the cabinet and the Prime Minister”. The source is clearly impressed by Hughes’ contact book. They talk about events he’s organised with famous figures like Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, as well as a major event for Wes Streeting — with celebrities like the actor Sir Ian McKellen in attendance — at the home of Lord Waheed Ali (a Labour peer who has been embroiled in the recent donations scandal after giving over £700,000 to the party). "He also had the Deputy Prime Minister in Liverpool fundraising for Angela Eagle at a luxury fundraising luncheon back in April,” the source adds. 

The combination of Hughes’ name and the journalist writing the report was intriguing to us here at The Post. When we broke a major story back in February about how Legacie, one of Liverpool’s biggest and best-known developers, had employed a once notorious Liverpool gangster, a story by Walker appeared days afterward in the pages of the Express. In it, he praised Legacie for turning a “derelict wasteland into super cool neighbourhoods”, as well as employing ex-offenders on its sites. Dan Hughes, we now know, was working for Legacie in a PR capacity. 

Dan Hughes. Photo: This Generation PR

Since then, Hughes has been pretty busy, working hard to forge connections between his clients and Labour MPs. One of his most notable relationships is with Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the MP for Ilford North. While not bearing any notable connections to Liverpool, Streeting has been on the receiving end of a number of sizable donations from Hughes, as well as his clients. 

The issue of donors has been a major topic hanging over this week’s Labour conference. After it was revealed that Labour received nearly £10 million in donations in the run-up to the General Election, MPs have been dragged over the coals. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been the scandal’s biggest public target after he accepted accommodation valued at £20,000 from Labour peer Lord Alli for “his son to study his GCSEs”, and a further £19,000 for “work clothes” and new glasses. Of course, Starmer is not alone, with deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and chancellor Rachel Reeves also receiving and accepting donated holidays and clothes.

Streeting, confronted on Newsnight this week about Labour MPs accepting donations, was wide-eyed as he told a journalist he was “really proud of people who want to contribute…their money to politics”, adding “it is a noble pursuit.” 

Noble isn’t quite the word many would use to describe accepting donations from private companies. As the scandal over recent weeks has highlighted, this money often does not come from a place of altruism; instead, it’s a tool to influence political figures. 

In wake of these revelations, we’ve been speaking to Labour sources who have raised concerns about Dan Hughes’ connections to Streeting as well as other MPs. They question how fair it is that Hughes is able to use those relationships to score business deals for those he works for. Making these connections is not a crime, of course. But our findings reveal an alarming insight into the world of lobbying, and how influencing political decisions often isn’t primarily about what you know, but who you know.

We approached Dan Hughes for a comment for this article but he did not respond. We also asked Wes Streeting MP about his relationship with Hughes, who did not respond either.