LONDON — Guto Harri has been named as UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s director of communications, in the wake of several senior departures in the No.10 advisory team.

Harri previously worked with Johnson when he was Mayor of London from 2008 to 2012, as his spokesman and director of external affairs. He took on that role after 19 years at the BBC, latterly as chief political correspondent.

The appointment follows previous Downing Street director of communications Jack Doyle, who had been in the role since last April, and three other aides leaving their posts last week, after prolonged media and political pressure on the prime minister around allegations of parties being held at his Downing Street office and residence when the UK was in lockdown. The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the claims.

In 2012, Harri became director of communications and corporate affairs at News UK, the division of Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp which owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times.

He was then head of global communications at Liberty, and had a brief spell last year as a news anchor on controversial new broadcaster GB News, where he quit after a row around him taking the knee during a discussion about racism. In 2018, he joined Hanover as a senior advisor.

In a social media post when his appointment was announced at the weekend, Harri said: “Really honoured to have been asked by the Prime Minister to be his Director of Communications in No10 Downing Street. Joining a formidable team of capable, professional and pragmatic people determined to ensure that the PM and his Cabinet can focus on the issues that really matter and deliver the promises they made at the last election."