Alastair Campbell reckons he’s mellowed since his frenetic days as Tony Blair’s spin doctor, but he tells Hannah Stephenson that he sometimes misses being in the thick of it.

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL is not happy. His partner, Cherie Blair’s former advisor Fiona Millar, is having the carpets cleaned during our interview at their north London home and he can’t stand the noise.

But his obvious irritation at the hum of the cleaners fades when he focuses on the job in hand – to plug his latest volume of diaries, Power And The People, which covers 1997 to 1999 and follows on from The Blair Years, published three years ago.

This second volume of his diaries, a whopping 746 pages of them, charts the first two years of the Labour government after the landslide victory and the massive events which followed – the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Northern Ireland peace process, the friendship forged with Bill Clinton and the campaign against ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

Then there are the scandals – Robin Cook leaving his wife for Gaynor Regan, Bernie Ecclestone’s controversial £1m donation, and more.

The book isn’t an uplifting read, due to Campbell’s frequent bouts of depression and obvious irritation in dealing with certain people on a day-to-day basis. Gordon Brown, Cherie Blair, Peter Mandelson and even his mate Tony Blair receive short shrift at times.

“I think that sometimes my judgements were harsh,” he admits. “Gordon could be impossible, but he was also superb in so many different ways. Looking back, it’s obvious at times that I was depressed, but I wasn’t defining it in those terms and sometimes my judgements could be quite harsh.”

Even when things were going well, Campbell, 53, writes of his battles with depression, having gone without a proper break for years. His doctor at one point tells him the three main upheavals in his medical history – acute asthma, a nervous breakdown and a serious stomach complaint – are all connected with anger.

“He said all the people you help will have their moments in the sun, but you have none.

You get no credit for the election, even though people in the know know you deserve more than most who do get the credit... and you spend a lot of the time taking seriously people you despise.”

It’s an exhausting read, such is the frenetic pace of events in a hugely pressurised environment involving massive decisions and a melting pot of personalities with egos and ruthless ambition.

“At times, the events surrounding us were so powerful – Diana, some of the personal issues and ministerial resignations – I can argue that we handled them well, but sometimes it stopped us being as focused and strategic as we were trying to be.”

Today, Campbell believes he may have mellowed and is probably easier to live with than he was when he was Tony Blair’s director of communications and strategy. “I’m more relaxed now,” he says, “but I work every day. I was up at half-six today writing something.”

Born in Keighley, Yorkshire, the son of a vet, after graduating from Cambridge University in modern languages he went into journalism and became a political correspondent.

Bouts of depression and a drinking problem followed, leading to a breakdown in 1986 that has been well documented, but Campbell received treatment and worked his way back up to become political editor of the Daily Mirror before joining Blair when he became leader of the Labour Party in 1994.

These days, he divides his time between writing, speaking, charitable fundraising, politics and campaigns and is an avid Twitter and Facebook fan, saying he has more than 50,000 followers.

A SK him what he thinks about Ed Miliband’s performance since he took the Labour helm and Campbell goes uncharacteristically quiet.

Has he offered the Labour leader any advice? “Well, I talk to him, but I’m not going to get into all that,” he says, his expression hardening for a moment. “I voted for David, but I’m Labour and I want Ed to do well. The press have decided to give him a kicking ever since he got elected, but actually I think he’s coming through it well.

“Let them criticise him, but he’s there now and he can establish himself and get his own sense of what he wants to do with the job and how he does it and I’ve been impressed by the way he appears pretty unfazed by the criticism.

“You do have to try to ignore the noise [he’s referring to less important stories which make headlines] and sometimes you get too drawn into dealing with the noise.

“When you are in his position you’ve got to try to stand back from it and try to see that bigger picture, always try to be strategic.”

A dark smile appears on Campbell’s face when asked if that’s what he would advise Miliband.

“Look, I know what you’re trying to do, Hannah, but I go back a long way with Ed. If anybody who’s involved in the senior level of the Labour Party thinks I can offer advice and support, then I’m happy to do it. But, just as I said to Gordon [Brown] after I stopped working fulltime, I don’t want to go back and do it full-time.”

He admits that sometimes he misses being in the thick of politics.

‘‘I was back for the election campaign. A big part of me was glad to be back, I made a difference, Gordon and I got on really well and I was able to help him a lot. But I was very glad when it was all over.”

Another two volumes of his diaries will be out this year and he also wants to write a novel about a coalition government.

In the meantime, he’s busy – but not to the point of exhaustion.

‘‘I think I’ve got another major job left in me somewhere, but I don’t know what it is and I’m not too worried about rushing.”

* Available now, the Alastair Campbell Diaries Volume 2: Power And The People 1997-1999, by Alastair Campbell, is published by Hutchinson, price £25.