Steven Norris joins IT spin doctors

Ex-philanderer and Tory London mayoral candidate Steven Norris has joined the world of IT spin.

Norris, famed for sustaining five mistresses, is going to work as a consultant at PR firm Citigate.

Citigate's client's include Freeserve, Action Computers, Compaq, lastminute.com, Motorola, EDS, Orange, and FortuneCity.com.

The former transport minister is bringing a gaggle of clients with him from Steven Norris Limited - an advisory business he has built up over the last four years. These include London bus operator FirstCapital and the Aviation and Travel Consultancy.

Norris, who married one of his mistresses after losing the Mayoral Election earlier this year, said he intends to work "as many days as I can fit in" among the PR bunnies at the London company. Warwick Smith, Citigate's chief of public affairs, described Norris as "a successful businessman and a great communicator". The company also claimed Norris would join the firm "as a normal salaried member of staff".

Norris may have scored his first PR coup simply by the timing of his statement - his headline-grabbing announcement coincided with the inauguration ceremony for London Mayor Ken Livingstone, and seemed to get more column inches from the nationals.®