Birt quits as Blair's adviser

Former BBC director general Lord Birt is to quit as a policy adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair for personal reasons, Downing Street announced today.

In a statement, Lord Birt said: "I told the Prime Minister at the time of the election that, for personal reasons, and with regret, I would need to leave No 10 by the end of the year.

"It has been a privilege to advise Tony Blair over the past six years.

"I leave with an abiding sense of a radical, energetic and reforming Prime Minister, crystal clear about his goals, and of a Government and civil service ever more capable of achieving them".

Mr Blair said: "John Birt's hardheaded analysis and ability to get to the heart of the most complex of problems has proved invaluable over a whole range of issues.

"I am very grateful to him for all he has done during his time at Downing Street".

The Downing Street statement said: "After six years as a strategy adviser to the Prime Minister, Lord Birt has decided to leave No 10 to take up a position with Terra Firma."

It said his appointment at the private equity firm had been appoved under the terms of the ministerial code.

But under the terms of the deal, he will be forbidden from personally lobbying British ministers and officials on their behalf for a year after leaving Dowing Street.

Lord Birt was appointed by Mr Blair to the Downing Street strategy unit to undertake so-called "blue skies thinking".

He recently faced criticism for being unaccountable after refusing to appear before a committee of MPs.

Both the Labour peer and the Prime Minister were rebuked by senior backbench MPs for not being prepared to take part in an inquiry into strategic thinking and planning in Government.

Downing Street also announced the identity of the new head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit.

Ian Watmore, currently Government Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Head of the eGovernment Unit, succeeds Sir Michael Barber.

He will "lead the drive to deliver the Prime Minister's top public service priorities" as well as acting as his key adviser on delivery, Downing Street said.

Mr Watmore, 47, was former managing director of management consultants Accenture UK before being appointed CIO in November 2004.