This episode is sponsored by Lloyd's Banking Group, serving Britain's communities and households for more than 250 years.

Hello and welcome to a member of Balls, where I, Katie Balls, speak to today's trailblazers. My guest today was once described as the most influential and non-elected person in Downing Street.

Her role as Tony Blair's gatekeeper began as a research assistant, where a makeshift desk was made for her out of an upside down bin.

In the 1997 landslide majority for labour, my guest was springboarded into number 10, where she became an alliance broker with the businesses and editors in the media, including Murdoch's empire.

After decades by Blair's side, she moved on to the corporate world, first as director

of communications with BP, which began another successful chapter in the private sector

across industries and the Royal Academy of Engineering to Anglo-American PLC.

She is now a senior advisor Edelman.

My guest today is Angie Hunter.

Thank you very much for coming in today, Angie.

It's great to have you in person at the spectator.

Is this the first time at our office?

Oh, no, no. I've been here on many occasions to your fantastic summer parties, which I'm not sure if you still have.

I haven't been, anyway, I haven't been invited to them for some years. I don't know what that says.

We'll blame it on COVID, but we've got obviously work that immediately. Oh, yeah, I have a word with Fraser.

No, on this podcast, we tend to start rewinding the hands of time

and asking about your childhood.

Would you describe it as a happy one?

Yeah, yeah, really happy.

I was born in Kuala Lumpur in what was then called Malaya in 1955, so ten years after the war.

So there was still a bit of sort of war stuff around.

There'd been a thing called the emergency in Malaya, which was a sort of Chinese infiltration.

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