Cabinet of the United Kingdom Minister to attend Cabinet meetings on a regular basis, notably Alastair Campbell in his capacity as Director of Communications and Strategy between 1997 and 2003, and Jonathan Powell, the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, under Tony Blair, with a distinctly separate role from the Cabinet Secretary/Head of the Civil Service. A photograph is taken of each new Cabinet in the garden or drawing room at 10 Downing Street. The Cabinet meets on a regular basis, usually weekly on a Thursday morning notionally to discuss the most important issues of government policy, and to make decisions. Despite the custom
Director of Communications (Office of the Prime Minister) for its incredibly long hours, grueling commitment to the job, strain on the person's family and general social life, and relatively quick burn-out period. The position regularly requires the director to be in the office from as early as 5:00am to as late as 1:00am, six or seven days per week, in order to monitor media developments and respond quickly when required. The position's grueling hours are close only to the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and Director of Policy. In a February 2015 article, former Director of Communications Andrew MacDougall laid out his average day in that role, starting