On the 6th of November, we hosted former No10 Special Advisor Jack Sellers at Cast from Clay for our latest ‘Getting policy unstuck’ Breakfast with policy and advocacy leaders.
Jack is the former Head of Government Grid and Strategy and Deputy Press Secretary for the Prime Minister and gave us a number of insights on how the previous administration thought about communications, media, and its intersection with policy.
Together with leading figures from NGOs, charities and advocacy groups, some of the key takeaways from the discussion included:
- At the highest level – comms and policy come hand in hand in No10. If the issue is big enough, policy teams will work hand in hand from an early stage with press and media teams. It is usual to have weekly meetings between these two teams. Press teams would ask questions on how issues can be framed presentationally, with enough clout to drop areas if needed. No10 is very focused at the strategic level, while Departments can sometimes get a little too deep into the details and miss the larger political picture.
- There is appetite from policymakers to find credible organisations to neutralise some of the politics. Many policies at a granular level can have cross-party support but the media framing can often make it appear more polarising. Government advisers are always on the lookout for credible third parties to help neutralise the politics and be seen to be collaborative.
- Be constructive with the government. Government advisors have long memories and will not want to engage with organisations that are seen to unreasonably attack. If organisations were to push for a challenging position, in particular that might cause a media storm, it is better to do it through an ally rather than directly themselves.
- Be concise, honest and with real life examples when pitching policy. Highlight the key issues and consider how it fits with the government’s wider comms plan and plan far in advance. Bring the policy to life with case studies focused on real people, and be upfront about the policy risks and challenges- don’t just sell a dream.
- Starmer holds enough power to make difficult decisions. There were times under the past government where pushing very hard decisions against their own party’s will was difficult. For Starmer, he has the numbers to drive through policies if you can get No 10 buy in. This could be an opportunity for strong campaigners.
- Everything is local. Even for policy advocacy that is intrinsically global, such as international aid, it is essential to have a clear line on how it impacts UK citizens positively. Conversely, international comparisons can also be useful, in particular with other friends and competitors in the West.
