Labour’s first 100 days – The King’s Speech

The first 100 days

Following our weekly newsletters during the election campaign, now that a government is in place, we wanted to send regular updates that go beyond the headlines to offer insights on what is happening, and what it means for you.

We’ll be shining a spotlight on the opportunities that exist for organisations to engage with the new government, not just with legislation as we saw in yesterday’s King’s Speech, but in the many reviews, new advisers and Whitehall structures that will be shaping the Government’s agenda.

It has been a very busy fortnight since Labour came into office, and there’s no sign that the pace of announcements and changes are likely to slow down any time soon. This newsletter will help you keep up to speed with what’s happening and determine how you can stay ahead of the game.

Adam Thomas
Director and Head of Public Affairs

The King’s Speech

Yesterday’s King’s Speech contained few surprises. Bills to implement the ‘New Deal for Working People’, create a Sovereign Wealth Fund, nationalise railways, reform planning and establish ‘Great British Energy’ (to name a few) were all heavily trailed by Labour, including in its election manifesto.

The interesting question is what didn’t make it in. For example, some thought an AI Bill was likely, but in the end it didn’t appear. Similarly, legislation targeted at other policy areas such as gambling regulation and social care didn’t make it.

The omissions don’t necessarily mean the measures have been de-prioritised, but rather they’re longer-term priorities. Indeed, there’s no reason to be downcast: this suggests the Government needs more time and support to shape its thinking – providing a window for organisations to input on how the legislation should eventually be formed.

The new Labour SpAds

With Secretaries of State and ministers now in place, our attention is turning to their special advisers, with confirmation of appointments happening daily. While there has been some continuity, with advisors in place during Opposition following their bosses over to Government, there has also been a range of new appointments.

There are old hands, like Blair-era advisers Paul Corrigan and Darren Murphy who have returned to the fold. What’s also interesting is the clear impact that campaign organisations like Labour Together – founded by Morgan McSweeney – and long-standing Labour-leaning think tanks, most notably the IPPR, will now have at the centre of government. Both organisations are transferring senior comms and policy staff over to both Downing Street and the government departments.

Will this create a group think mentality or a unity of purpose? It certainly means that these advisers bring with them a plethora of ideas and policy proposals on which to base engagement.

Labour’s reviews

Following Labour’s commitment in its manifesto to hold as many as 17 different reviews and inquiries to decide policy positions, since winning the election, the Government has announced welcome detail on a number of them, further indicating its intention to hit the ground running.

Most notably, this week the Prime Minister announced the Strategic Defence Review, looking into the current state of the armed forces, the threats the UK faces and the capabilities needed to address them. My colleague Ben Frankel wrote about this review earlier in the week, which you can read here. The Health Secretary has also announced an independent investigation into the state of the NHS. In both cases, the Prime Minister is relying on highly respected and senior figures to lead this work.

We expect more to be announced in the weeks ahead. The reviews will be major opportunities not only to learn what the Government is thinking on different policy areas, but to influence and shape government policy over the long term.

We expect more to be announced in the weeks ahead. The reviews will be major opportunities not only to learn what the Government is thinking on different policy areas, but to influence and shape government policy over the long term.

How can we help you?

Luther Pendragon is one of the UK’s most highly-regarded independent communications consultancies. We help clients reach, inform and engage with policymakers and stakeholders in Government, Parliament, the devolved administrations, regulators, and beyond.

We can support you if your organisation is looking to shape the political and policymaking landscape.

 Contact us at publicaffairs@luther.co.uk to find out more about how we can help.