Philip Collins (journalist)

Philip Collins at Policy Network, London December 2015

Philip James Collins (born 16 May 1967) is a British journalist, academic, banker and speechwriter.

Collins spent years as an equity strategist in investment banking. He was a political adviser to Frank Field but also worked for the Institute of Education at the University of London, the BBC and London Weekend Television. He was the Director of the Social Market Foundation and then became Chief Speech Writer to Tony Blair, and was responsible for writing Blair's last speech as Leader of the Labour Party. In 2007 he was tipped to stand in the constituency of Bolton South East after Brian Iddon announced his retirement in the 2010 election, however in the end he didn't stand for the seat.

Collins is now a leader writer and columnist for The Times but also the chairman of the centre-left thinktank, Demos and as a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. He is also an associate editor of Prospect magazine. "The Liberal Republic" (2009) is a pamphlet Collins wrote with his former colleague, Richard Reeves (who later became Nick Clegg's Director of Strategy).

Collins is married to newsreader Geeta Guru-Murthy; the couple have two children and live in London.