Westminster waits eagerly for the return of the Crosby show

Never before in British politics can the recruitment of a part-time consultant have been given so much coverage. The papers have treated Lynton Crosby’s coming arrival at Conservative Campaign Headquarters with the seriousness that used to be reserved for changes in the great offices of state. Ministers are no less excited; they are full of theories about the significance of the hiring of this hardscrabble Australian operative and what it says about the future direction of the party.

So what’s the fuss about? Well, as with so much to do with the Cameroons, one can only really understand it in the light of the 2010 election. In this case, Lynton’s appointment means that the Conservative leadership has finally accepted that its campaign was a mess, full of competing egos and mixed messages. A senior figure says: ‘It’s a total acceptance by David and George of the critique of the last election campaign.’

When Downing Street insiders talk about Crosby, the word they use most frequently to describe him is ‘professional’. This is meant to convey two things. First, it is a reference to the fact that his campaigns tend to run like clockwork: the 2005 Tory campaign (which he ran) might have been unsuccessful but it worked better operationally than any other in living memory. But it is also meant to stress that Crosby will be implementing what Cameron and Osborne want rather than indulging his own instincts. This is meant to reassure Tory modernisers that Cameron won’t suddenly turn into John Howard, the dry-as-dust leader whom Crosby got elected time and again in his native Australia. One Downing Street source is emphatic that ‘Lynton won’t be making policy.’ My information is that Crosby will work as a part-time campaign adviser for the Tories — the current plan is for him to do a week a month for the first year — until about six months before the next election.