Full definition of spad
Noun
- (politics, United Kingdom, informal) A government adviser, often in a political or media role.
- 2009, Ben Wright, Hidden world of the political advisers, BBC:A successful stint as a spad can be a crucial political apprenticeship - as many of the current crop of professional politicians including the Miliband brothers, David Cameron and George Osborne can testify - so long as they stay in the dark.
- 2012, Avoid The Thick of It-style spad appointments, ministers told, The Guardian:The hit BBC sitcom satirising the inner workings of Whitehall and the so-called spads contains "more than a grain of truth", the head of the cross-party public administration select committee has warned.
