Weber Shandwick UK head of public affairs Joey Jones is quitting the agency to join Cicero Consulting.

The former journalist takes the role of strategic counsel at Cicero, which last week acquired fellow London agency Westbourne Communications.

Jones joined Weber Shandwick in 2016 having previously been deputy political editor at Sky News and then briefly a senior media adviser to Theresa May when she was home secretary.

His departure is a massive blow for Weber Shandwick which leaves major question marks overthe  agency’s public affairs operation. The timing is partuiclarly bad for Weber Shandwick as it comes hot on the heels of the recent exit of corporate, financial and public affairs chairman Jon McLeod, who is now at Brunswick.

Last week, Cicero announced it had acquired fellow London agency Westbourne Communications, creating what they said is the UK's biggest independent public affairs consultancy.

Iain Anderson, executive chairman at Cicero Group, said: "Joey Jones is a world-class communications professional who possesses everything our clients need: political connectivity, a skilled consultant with a lifetime of experience in front of the cameras. He firmly understands what makes business tick and will further strengthen our team at an extremely exciting time for our business."

Jones said: "The acquisition of Westbourne shows this is a business that is going places, and I can’t wait to play my part with Iain and the rest of the team."