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Political hardman, and spin doctor supreme, Alastair Campbell showed his emotional side today during a revealing interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr.

Alastair Campbell was communications chief at Number 10 during the Blair years and is traditionally remembered as the dark master of political spin, a modern day Machiavelli. It is widely believed that the ferocious Malcolm Tucker character in political satire ’The Thick Of It’ is closely based upon Campbell, and his rages at colleagues and the media have become legendary. In more recent times, Campbell has talked openly about his battle with depression but he has never appeared more vulnerable, more emotionally open, than he did on Sunday morning.

The ongoing Chilcot Enquiry into the United Kingdom’s role in the Iraq War has brought Campbell firmly back into the political spotlight. As expected from such a consumate media performer he gave an imperious performance when facing the public enquiry recently. In a flawless performance, full of his trademark self-assurance, he swatted away the questions with ease. His defence of Tony Blair was unwavering and he also placed Gordon Brown firmly at the heart of the decision making process, something that will have dismayed the current Prime Minister. Campbell walked smiling from the enquiry as if he had been at the Savoy Grill rather than receiving a grilling.

It was widely expected that Campbell would deal with an Andrew Marr interrogation in the same manner, but it was further questioning about Tony Blair that caused his mask to slip. Marr pressed Campbell about the then Prime Minister’s assertion that intelligence ’proved beyond doubt’ that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Marr asked Campbell whether Blair had misled Parliament on this point and the spin king, as expected, gave this a quick rebuttal. It was when Marr repeated the question however that Alastair Campbell became overcome with emotion.

Campbell’s face fell suddenly and he paused for a while, breathing deeply. Tears visibly welled in his eyes before he steadied himself and answered slowly: “I’ve been through a lot on this Andrew. And I’ve been through a lot of that inquiry.. and.. Tony Blair, I think, is a totally honourable man."Campbell seemed to be shaken to the core, and his anger surfaced as he said that the media were obsessed with settling scores and vilifying Blair, and by association Campbell himself, with no interest in the truth of the situation.

Were these crocodile tears, the media expert manipulating matters yet again, or did it show a real concern at the way that the Chilcot Enquiry is progressing? Many people will remain cynical, and find it ironic that Campbell of all people is talking about the truth being hidden by secret agendas. With many people thinking that Campbell himself has blood on his hands over Iraq, it could be a growing sense of guilt rather than frustration that brought Campbell to tears on national television.

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