Phil Murphy hails from Newcastle-on-Tyne, the third of his parents’ six children.  He attended Hertford College, Oxford, where he read French and Latin, before completing a postgraduate Diploma in Practical Journalism at City University, London.  He worked as a journalist for 17 years, 13 of them as a political journalist based at the Palace of Westminster.  After working for regional papers including The Newcastle Journal and The Yorkshire Post, he was appointed Political Editor of the UK’s principal news agency, The Press Association.  Phil reported on much of the Thatcher era, John Major’s Government and the first year of the Blair landslide administration.

Shortly after being appointed The Arts Council of England’s Director of Communications, Phil was asked to become the Labour Party’s Director of Communications.  He later moved to 10 Downing Street to be a Special Advisor to Tony Blair.  Phil then worked in international government relations for FTSE top 10 company BG Group until its buy-out by Shell.

Phil is married to Sophie and they have two children, Alice and Mark.