At the start of the year, the Prime Minister delivered a speech that will come to define his communications message moving forward, focused on five key pledges:
- Halve inflation.
- Grow the economy.
- Cut debt.
- Cut NHS waiting lists.
- Stop the boats.
From a communications perspective, it’s clear to see what Rishi Sunak is trying to achieve: “here are my priorities, this is what I will deliver and judge me on my record.”
It’s quite a clever strategy as the targets are modest and measurable. However, the shrewdness is in the lack of detail; the vagueness of the targets will allow the Prime Minister to portray his first year as a success even if GDP only goes up modestly and inflation falls to just below 5%.
Gearing up for an election
It allows Rishi and the Conservatives to send a message of delivery going into the next election (expected in 2024), with the communications message being: “In my first year as Prime Minister, I’ve stabilised the economy and delivered on my pledges. In the next year, we will continue to grow the economy and cut NHS waiting lists, now don’t let Labour ruin it.”
Whether the electorate is willing to listen is another matter, but delivery is what Conservative strategists believe is the only, albeit narrow, viable path to victory in 2024.
The Government’s record on delivery is now under the microscope
In a Parliament marred by Brexit and Covid, voters will be asking what has the Government actually achieved, with the question of delivery at the forefront of political strategists’ minds.
Aside from “Getting Brexit done” Boris Johnson’s big domestic promise at the last election was to level up the country, bringing investment and jobs to left-behind regions in the UK.
The announcement was a nebulous concept focused more on what voters feel rather than any defined policy goals. This made it an effective communications message to deliver, with the Conservatives winning over voters by successfully offering short-term funding wins to fix local infrastructure issues and improve the local high street.
Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?
Now looking forward to an election, voters in these areas will be asking this classic political question.
Recent polling from YouGov suggests not, with a majority of people in 357 out of 361 local council authorities stating that their area has either stayed the same or got worse since the last election.
The lack of long-term vision or focus on delivery, has left the Conservatives exposed to attacks on their record. What was an effective message then, is now an area of weakness that the opposition will look to exploit.
The Government’s new five pledges messaging is a tacit acknowledgment of previous missteps which is designed to move on the conversation.
Whether Rishi Sunak can persuade the British public that he has delivered on his promises and disassociated himself from historic Government failures will be the communications challenge that defines the next election.