Derek Draper

Derek William Draper (15 August 1967 – 3 January 2024) was an English political lobbyist and psychotherapist.

As a political advisor, he was involved in two political scandals: "Lobbygate" in 1998, and another in 2009 while he was editor of the LabourList website. He authored two books, Blair's 100 Days and Life Support.

Draper contracted COVID-19 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, and became seriously ill with an exceptionally serious case of long COVID; he was hospitalised for over a year and continued to require round-the-clock care upon release. He returned to hospital with extreme complications in December 2023, during which time he suffered a cardiac arrest; he died in January 2024.