Alastair Campbell edits the New Statesman

Before Alastair Campbell found fame as Tony Blair’s Downing Street spin-doctor he worked as a journalist for the Daily Mirror, where he rose to the exalted heights of political editor. Now he’s back - for one week only - after being invited to ‘guest edit’ this week’s edition of the left-wing magazine the New Statesman.

Immodestly, the cover boasts a Hello!-style photograph of Campbell posing with his friend Sir Alex Ferguson (pictured), the Manchester United manager, whom he interviews. And a glance at the contributors reveals that Campbell has not been shy about calling in favours from friends. Tony Blair has penned a piece about God - a subject that he famously didn't "do" under Campbell's watch - while Campbell's other half, Fiona Miller, shares a byline with Melissa Benn, Tony Benn’s daughter.

Standing out like a sore thumb, however, is Paul Dacre, the notoriously conservative editor of the Daily Mail, and about the last man on earth you’d expect to find writing for the Statesman. He contributes a piece about his "inordinate gratitude" to the NHS. This is a genuine coup, as Campbell’s relations with Dacre have not always been cordial: he once described Dacre as "one of the most poisonous men in public life".

But it is perhaps Campbell’s interview with Ferguson that will attract the most attention. He reveals that he is contemplating his eventual retirement from football, but fails to actually name a date. Now, that would have been a scoop. ·