JACK Straw's special advisor Mark Davies is getting used to life outside Westminster — after Labour lost the election and he lost his job.

Mr Davies was the man who 'served in the trenches' with the Blackburn MP for five years, dealing with his boss's high profile role and with any crisis that developed.

He was also the man who had to handle the media reaction to Mr Straw's famous Lancashire Telegraph column, where he called for a debate over Muslim women wearing the veil.

But he said that he was now enjoying the first few days away from the hustle and bustle of Westminster, especially looking after his two young sons and spending time with his wife.

And the 43-year-old former journalist with the BBC and CNN said that he enjoyed the weekend, because it was the first time in five years that he did not receive a single work-related call.

Mr Straw actually increased his majority in Blackburn in the recent general election, but, despite that success for the team behind the politician, Mr Davies still lost out.

Special advisors are only provided to ministers, and with Labour going into opposition, his role ended.

But he left with praise after being described as 'one of the most effective, professional and down to earth Labour special advisers around'.

Now he said he was now looking forward to a life away from politics.

Mr Davies is the new director of communications of Rethink, a mental health charity based in London.

He said: "It is a bit of a shock to the system. It has been an incredible privilege to work with Jack for five years.

“I have had some wonderful experiences, including increasing Jack’s majority in Blackburn and visiting Alabama in the USA with Condoleezza Rice.

“The aftermath of the veil column was something that I will never forget. I have never seen anything like it. We returned to do a surgery in Blackburn and there were more press than I had ever seen in my life. That was tough to deal with.”