Michael Howard has continued his reform of the Conservative Party by reducing 11 existing departments at party headquarters to just three: press, research and marketing.

The Tory leader said his objective was to re-establish the party as the "most effective campaigning machine in the world".

Guy Black, the director of the Press Complaints Commission since 1996, will head up communications for the Conservatives and will take charge of a new office of the press secretary in the new year.

Greg Clark, previously the Tory policy chief, becomes director of Conservative research and development (CRD).

David Willetts, the Shadow Cabinet member in charge of policy, is to be chairman of the CRD, which the party says will "aim to stimulate a renaissance of rigorous intellectual thought based on Conservative philosophy".

Will Harris, another new recruit, who helped to re-launch BT's Cellnet mobile telephone service as O2, will be in charge of polling, marketing, advertising and membership, as well as political tours and events.