Washington, Jan 30 : Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has returned to Barack Obama's payroll as a "roving surrogate and strategic consultant" for the latter's re-election campaign.

Gibbs, who left the White House a year ago, will continue to accept consulting and speaking jobs.

Campaign sources have revealed that Gibbs has been on conference calls with Obama, campaign manager Jim Messina, senior campaign strategist David Axelrod and senior White House adviser David Plouffe, The Politico reports.

According to the paper, the contract represents a `formalization' of the relationship between the Chicago-based campaign and Gibbs. However, it is not clear how much he''ll be paid.

A source close to Obama revealed that one of the reasons Gibbs was being brought closer to the campaign is believed to be his willingness to deliver tough messages to the president if necessary. (ANI)