Boris and Carrie

Political Headlines – Johnson defends his right to privacy and Hunt promises £15bn defence spending

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Today’s political headlines includes Johnson defending his right to privacy, Hunt promising £15bn defence spending, Labour MPs given a fortnight to decide if they want to stand again and financial reporting on Johnson’s proposed tax cuts. 

Johnson defends right to privacy as donor demands explanation
The Daily Telegraph says that Boris Johnson has defended his right to privacy saying that it was ‘unfair’ to drag his ‘loved ones’ into things, but has been accused of hypocrisy after photos of him holding hands with his girlfriend were passed to the press. He used a BBC interview last night to relaunch his campaign for the leadership and will attend a series of events in Surrey and South London today, after criticism from a number of sources including leading party donor John Griffin, who said that members ‘deserve an explanation’.

Hunt promises £15bn defence spending
The Times reports that Jeremy Hunt is to announce that he will increase defence spending by £15bn if he becomes Prime Minister, ensuring that it reaches 2.5% of GDP in the next five years. However, he has not given a detailed explanation of how this will be funded. The money would be used to increase the UK’s presence in the North Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions and to expand the UK’s cyber-security defences.

Labour MPs given a fortnight to decide if they want to stand again
The Guardian reports that the Labour Party has given its MPs a fortnight to decide if they wish to stand again at the next general election. Following a rule change last year, those who wish to restand will need to secure the support of two-thirds of local branches and local trade union branches; if they don’t, they can be challenged by other candidates.

Johnson tax cuts could cost £20bn and would mostly benefit the rich
The Financial Times carries details of new analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which says that Boris Johnson’s proposed tax cuts could cost up to £20bn a year and would mostly benefit richer households. Tom Waters from the thinktank said it was ‘not clear that spending such sums on tax cuts is compatible with both ending austerity in public spending and prudent management of the public finances’.

Top jobs disproportionately held by private school pupils
The Guardian says that a new study by the Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Commission shows that members of the UK’s elite, who hold top jobs in politics, the judiciary, the media and business are five times more likely to have attended a private school than the population as a whole. Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said that Labour would give ‘every child the chance to flourish, not just a lucky few’.

Ireland under pressure from other EU countries over no-deal Brexit plans
The Daily Telegraph claims that Ireland is coming under pressure from six other EU countries, including France and Germany, to detail how it would manage a no-deal Brexit as they are concerned that this may now be unavoidable. The countries are said to fear that Ireland could pose a threat to the integrity of the single market.

May to make everyone eligible for sick pay
The Sun reports that Theresa May is to announce that sick pay will be extended to everyone. Companies that treat their staff well will be given a ‘conditional rebate’. The measure forms part of May’s attempt to establish a legacy, with the Government also considering higher accessibility standards for new homes and increased support for disability benefit recipients.

Davies reselected despite recall petition
The Times reports that the Conservatives have selected Chris Davies as their candidate for the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, despite it having been caused by a recall petition triggered after he admitted submitting two false expenses invoices. He said that he was ‘the right person’, despite almost one in five constituents having backed the petition.

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5 PR tips from the hotel industry

5 PR tips from the hotel industry

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This is a guest post from Frank Marr of AM+A Marketing and Media Relations.

Frank has compiled a list of AM+A’s top tips for creating and putting into action an effective hotel PR and marketing strategy, which the whole PR industry can benefit from. From adopting an integrated approach to channelling your inner journalist, every successful PR and marketing campaign should consider these five steps.

1. Regularly update creative strategies
The media, PR and marketing industries are extremely fluid. Regular creative brainstorms are useful for keeping your brand on trend. Launching a hotel or product is easy, keeping it in the press is not. Creating a major annual event or unique promotion will help maintain exposure. Big events should also be supplemented with smaller, tactical ideas. This is a fine line to tread. You want to keep your brand in the media and engaged with customers without bombarding journalists/ audiences to the point of apathy.

2. An organised integrated PR & digital approach
The key to any successful PR campaign is organisation. It’s true that we must react to news and trends as they emerge, but the best campaigns involve a proactive 12 to 18 month plan incorporating key dates throughout the year from national days to major holidays. Creating smaller, six-month plans allows you to regularly catch long lead media and consistently keep your hotel in the news.

3. Build a network of influencers
As social media continues to hold its position, the importance of building a high-quality influencer network cannot be overstated. According to Havas Group’s Meaningful Brands 2019 report, 81% of brands sold across Europe could disappear and consumers would not care. Building a trustworthy brand is therefore vital for engaging consumers. Create a rapport with your influencers, bring them back time and time again and utilise their contacts to create an even greater reach for your brand.

Influencer marketing is still a murky area but there are a few pointers to help you get ahead: to ensure you make the most out of the relationship include looking for an engagement rate of 4% – 6% on posts; define expectations beforehand to ensure they are met; and aim to state what you want before working with them, so if you want 10 photos, ask for 10 photos.

It’s important to research your influencers and ensure they’re a good fit for your target audience to produce content that maximises your assets.

4. Think like a journalist and blogger
To generate publicity for your brand, try to understand what appeals to journalists and online audiences – and what doesn’t. By thinking like a journalist, you can tailor your campaign and present your assets in a way that is far more likely to be picked up. To be able to think like a journalist or your audiences, you should be constantly monitoring media not just within your industry, but a wide variety. Devour the media, find the angles behind features and learn to spot current trends, journalists love anything new and anything that taps into their calendars. Winning the media over is vital to a successful marketing campaign.

5. Maximise your assets and production
Even if you use all of these tactics and create an innovative, well-structured campaign, you cannot succeed if you don’t have the assets in place to maximise your product. Stay on brand and build up a vault of high-quality images, videos, blog posts, graphics, animations, infographics and articles while ensuring any logos and branding materials are designed to the highest standard. This should be your starting point for any successful campaign.

Looking to make new relationships? Monitor the press? Prove and report on your success? You need Vuelio. 

Today's Political Headlines

Political Headlines – Hunt calls Johnson a coward in Tory leadership latest

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Today’s political headlines includes Hunt accusing Johnson of cowardice, Johnson and Symonds have been driven out of their flat, and Johnson’s Brexit stance while being contradicted over no-deal tariff claims. 

Hunt accuses Johnson of cowardice
Writing in The Times, Jeremy Hunt accuses Boris Johnson of being a ‘coward’ who is willing to ‘slink through the back door’ of 10 Downing Street while avoiding being questioned, telling him to ‘man up’. He has been refusing to provide an explanation of the incident at the flat he shares with his partner, Carrie Symonds, which led to police being called after neighbours heard screaming. Johnson has also only agreed to participate in two broadcast debates, both of which will only take place after ballot papers are sent to members.

Anarchists drive Johnson and Symonds out of flat
According to the Daily Mail, Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have been forced to go into hiding after anarchists from the group Class War staged a protest outside their flat, with a friend of the couple telling the paper that the couple have ‘a very loving and stable relationship’ and have ‘spent the weekend together’. The Daily Mirror says that Johnson’s friends claim that he is ‘yearning’ to be with his estranged wife, while The Sun claims that the row followed a series of four over the last six weeks in what a friend described as ‘an incredibly volatile relationship’, including the couple nearly splitting up earlier this month.

Johnson says he won’t ‘bottle’ Brexit
Boris Johnson has used his column in The Daily Telegraph to promise that he won’t ‘bottle’ Brexit and that ‘we can, we must and we will leave’ the European Union on 31 October. He also claims that once Brexit has been completed, the focus should be to ‘turbocharge’ the economy, promising higher pay not higher taxes.

Cox and Fox contradict Johnson over no-deal tariff claims
The Financial Times claims Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox has told the Government that, despite claims by Boris Johnson, the UK would probably not be able to maintain its existing tariff-free trade with the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit, even for a time-limited period. Cox’s stance has also been backed by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox.

Hunt says UK would consider joining US attack on Iran
In an exclusive, the Daily Mail reports that Foreign Secretary and leadership contender Jeremy Hunt has said that the UK would consider joining a US-led military attack on Iran, but that it would do so ‘on a case-by-case basis’. He added that Iran should ‘stop its destabilising activity throughout the Middle East’ and said that it was ‘almost certainly’ responsible for recent sabotage to oil tankers.

NHS boss raises prospect of compulsory tax on gambling firms
The Times says that Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has said that the voluntary levy on the gambling industry wasn’t raising enough to pay for the treatment of addicts and ‘the possibility of a mandatory levy’ should be left open. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said he was ‘determined to do everything I can to help anyone affected’.

Most types of Brexit to worsen UK’s finances
The Guardian reports that a new report by the UK in a Changing Europe thinktank finds that most types of Brexit would lead to the UK’s finances becoming worse, giving the country less capacity to tackle issues such as child poverty, social care and left-behind communities.

Report claims current technology could make backstop obsolete
The Daily Telegraph carries details of a new report by the thinktank Prosperity UK, which claims that a hard border on the island of Ireland could be prevented using existing technology to deliver ‘invisible’ customs checks, making the backstop ‘obsolete’ within three years. The report was led by Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands and is supported by Brexiteers such as Iain Duncan Smith, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker.

The Tory leadership campaign is not the only political campaign Vuelio Political Services.  

Meera Selva CIPR

CIPR AGM hears from Reuters Institute’s Meera Selva

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The CIPR held its AGM last night, reflecting on last year’s results, the Institute’s accounts and presenting this year’s Sir Stephen Tallents Medal to Laura Sutherland (congratulations from all at Vuelio!). Following official business, the audience heard from Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s Meera Selva, who talked through the current state of digital journalism around the world.

Selva discussed the Digital News Report, which is based on 75,000 respondents in 38 countries.

The general theme of the report is one of concern for digital media, which is still struggling to keep up with audience requirements and societal pressure. While some mediums are doing better than others – the popularity of podcasting in particularly is rapidly increasing – there’s still issues of trust, payment and competition.

Selva pointed out that people seem to be putting more trust in news brands, but it is in established brands while others are seen as suspicious. And while more individuals in the US, UK and Nordic countries are willing to pay for quality news, the technology is currently creating a barrier, as readers too often come up against paywall login screens.

A demand for a ‘Spotify for news’, where one login gives you permanent access to all paywalled brands, is very unlikely to materialise according to Selva, as there will always be publishers that believe readers will come directly to them who don’t want to subsidise lesser brands.

There’s also an issue of competition, which is increasingly likely to come from outside traditional news organisations. In the US, most people have one online subscription, but that isn’t just for news. For example, a US citizen might make a choice between the Wall Street Journal or Netflix. Again, funding models have not found a way to compete with slick entertainment services and are therefore falling behind.

Selva also discussed the impact social media has had on news, where people are increasingly likely to access their news via social platforms rather than go directly to news sites. As such, algorithms and tech companies are the de facto news editors while publishers are having to become SEO wizards.

This is a problem for PR and communications because it allows fake news and misinformation to spread unchecked and makes the ‘official line’ of communication harder to determine.

The PR industry should be taking the decline of trust in the media and its reduced ability to hold those in power to account very seriously – without a robust, trusted, independent media, the PR industry cannot survive to serve its current function.

Impact vs Value

Impact vs Value in PR

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One of the questions our clients often ask us is how to calculate the value of editorial coverage. In the past, the accepted measure was Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) but this is now held in such low esteem that PR industry bodies actively campaign against its use.

AVE is flawed because it doesn’t consider the influence that editorial coverage has beyond advertising. It doesn’t consider that impact on a target audience is determined by the sentiment of coverage or the type (and reach) of a publication. Above all, in a world where Google ranking is king, AVE doesn’t consider search engine optimisation (SEO) benefit.

So, what’s the alternative? The Barcelona Principles 2.0 went a long way to improving how the industry considers evaluation. It reinforced our view that the value of PR is in terms of outcome not output.

To understand outcome, at the beginning of any activity you must define the key audiences you want to reach and the action you want PR activity to prompt. It could be a shift in awareness, understanding or engagement, which is then evaluated using quantitative measures such as website traffic, downloads of content or interactions on social media. For a complete picture, these should be combined with qualitative research into likelihood to recommend and buy.

By aligning PR to strategic targets, the value of PR is in terms of impact against ‘bottom line’ beyond an arbitrary measure of AVE. There’s no doubt this is a more involved approach, but by applying it you’ll create irrefutable evidence of the importance of PR to the ambition of the organisation. It helps move PR from being considered a ‘nice to have’ to essential for overall success.

Want to understand the true value of your PR? Find out how Vuelio can help. 

Michael Gove

Political Headlines – Johnson supporters try to knock out Gove

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Today’s political headlines includes Johnson supporters trying to knock out Gove, Stewart knocked out, Javid wants to be Johnson’s Chancellor and BBC debate questioners suspended.  

Johnson supporters to try to knock out Gove
The Daily Telegraph claims that Boris Johnson’s supporters will try to knock Michael Gove out of the leadership race today, with one claiming that they wanted him to be ‘humiliated’. They intend to lend Sajid Javid enough votes in this morning’s round to eliminate Gove and are pressuring former supporters of Rory Stewart to back Javid or Jeremy Hunt. Johnson’s supporters believe that Hunt will be the easiest to beat in a head-to-head contest.

Stewart knocked out of leadership contest
The Guardian reports that Rory Stewart was eliminated from the Conservative leadership contest last night, having lost ten votes since the previous round. This prompted speculation that he might have previously been lent votes by Boris Johnson in order to ensure that Dominic Raab was eliminated. Stewart said that ‘all sorts of things might be happening in strange secret ballots’.

Javid wants to be Johnson’s Chancellor, rivals claim
The Times claims that according to his rivals Sajid Javid wants to be Boris Johnson’s Chancellor. According to Javid’s allies, Johnson spend yesterday trying to persuade him to pull out and endorse Johnson instead, but there weren’t any face-to-face talks. He has said that he is the ‘change candidate’ and will not be ‘pulling out’.

Two BBC debate questioners suspended
The Daily Mail says two of the questioners from the BBC’s Conservative leadership debate have been suspended from their jobs over offensive social media posts which the corporation’s vetting didn’t find. Abdullah Patel, the deputy head of a primary school, was suspended over tweets blaming women for rape and containing antisemitism, while Aman Thakar, who used to work for Labour, has been suspended from the law firm he works for after he tweeted that Hitler’s most harmful legacy was his ‘abuse of nationalism’. Iain Duncan Smith said there was ‘clear bias’ against the Tories and called for Ofcom to investigate.

Johnson tells rivals they don’t disagree on ‘much’
According to The Sun, Boris Johnson’s stance on Brexit is being questioned after he was overheard telling his opponents that ‘we don’t disagree on that much’ following the leadership debate on Tuesday, adding that they ‘hardly’ disagreed on dates. The candidates’ microphones were still attached as the exchange happened while they left the studio.

Corbyn rejects calls to move to pro-remain stance
The Guardian claims that Corbyn used yesterday’s shadow cabinet meeting to indicate that he was not happy to move to a more pro-remain stance despite pressure, including from John McDonnell, telling attendees that he had been getting inspiration from Harold Wilson’s autobiography. Wilson allowed ministers to campaign on both sides of the referendum.

Hammond to accuse candidates of not being realistic
The Financial Times says Chancellor Philip Hammond will use a speech at Mansion House to say he is trying to prevent a no-deal Brexit and none of the leadership contenders is being realistic. He will add that ‘if the new Prime Minister cannot end the deadlock in parliament, then he will have to explore other democratic mechanisms to break the impasse’.

Living standards improvements have stalled, thinktank says
The Sun carries details of a new report by the Resolution Foundation which finds that 18-29 year olds are spending £23 a week less on recreation compared to 20 years ago as basics rise in cost, but pensioners are spending £47 more due to them working longer and the ‘triple lock’. David Willetts of the thinktank said that ‘big living standards gains that each generation used to enjoy over their predecessors have stalled’.

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Boris Johnson

Political Headlines – Tory leadership and Labour’s Brexit position

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Today’s political headlines includes rivals raising the heat on Johnson, Corbyn to set out Labour’s Brexit stance, Raab’s campaign manager accuses Tory MPs of pretending to support him and Farage says he could do a deal with Johnson. 

Rivals raise heat on Johnson
The Times says rival leadership candidates used last night’s debate to raise the heat on Boris Johnson, who softened his stance on Brexit, moved away from his suggested tax cuts on high earners and refused to commit to blocking Heathrow expansion. Rory Stewart also came under scrutiny, later agreeing that his performance was ‘lacklustre’. In the second round of voting, Johnson got 126 votes while Dominic Raab was eliminated. Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid all grew support marginally, but Stewart’s votes nearly doubled.

Corbyn to set out Labour’s Brexit stance
The Guardian reports that in the ‘coming days’ Jeremy Corbyn will set out Labour’s latest Brexit stance in a speech, but is unlikely to back deputy leader Tom Watson’s calls for the party to adopt a more pro-remain approach. Instead he will develop his existing position of a public vote on any Brexit deal, although some shadow cabinet members are concerned about the impact this would have in their constituencies.

Raab’s campaign manager accuses Tory MPs of pretending to support him
The Times says that Sr Hugo Swire, Dominic Raab’s campaign manager, has said that his elimination was ‘a surprise and a big disappointment’, accusing MPs of pretending to support Raab. He said that most of Raab’s backers were now likely to transfer their support to Boris Johnson as it was ‘difficult to see them not backing’ a hard-Brexiteer.

Farage says he could do deal with Johnson
Speaking at an event organised by The Daily Telegraph, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has indicated that he could form an election pact with Boris Johnson, saying that if Johnson chose to fight an election backing a no-deal Brexit there ‘is a deal that could be done’ which would lead to ‘a massive, massive majority’.

Hammond threatens to resign over school funding plan
The Sun says that Chancellor Philip Hammond openly threatened his resignation yesterday over a dispute with Theresa May about plans to boost school funding by £27bn. Asked if he had quit, he said ‘no, not yet’. Cabinet ministers have indicated to the paper they are backing Hammond and believe the decision on the plans should be left to May’s successor.

Johnson rebuilds links with business leaders
The Financial Times says Boris Johnson held a private breakfast with business leaders yesterday, accompanied by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss, in an attempt to rebuild his relationship with them after his ‘fuck business’ remarks last year. He told attendees these had been taken out of context and pointed to his record as Mayor of London.

Khan accuses Tory candidates of adopting far right language
The Guardian says Sadiq Khan is to accuse Tory leadership contenders of adopting the language of the far right, warning that it could lead to events such as the massacre at the mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. He will describe the Conservatives’ approach to Islamophobia as ‘utterly shameful’. The paper adds that during yesterday’s debate Sajid Javid got the other candidates to commit to an investigation into Islamophobia in the party.

Labour to announce plans for warnings on alcohol
The Sun reports that Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth is to announce plans to make alcohol carry warnings about the dangers of drinking too much, with details of calories and national drinking guidelines. He will warn that ‘the current voluntary approach is simply not fit for purpose’, but Chris Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs claimed that ‘the nanny statists are at it again’.

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Terrorism crisis comms

How to manage crisis comms for terrorist related events

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New guidance has been published by the CIPR and CPNI for best practice communication management before, during and after terrorist incidents.

The CIPR has partnered with the Government’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) on the 38-page guide, which features a communications toolkit designed to help PR professionals mitigate the harmful effects of terrorist incidents on brands, businesses and communities.

Download Crisis Management for Terrorist Related Events here

The guidance explains that communications can help deter terrorists and encourages professionals to be wary of the diverse threats facing organisations, from left- and right-wing terrorism to cybercrime and hacktivism.

The comprehensive toolkit is a valuable resource for anyone working in communications (in any industry) and includes guidance on working with the police, the steps to takes before, during and after an incident, and how to deal with different types of terror-related events.

It is informed by CPNI research based on interviews with 30 communications heads and security professionals from 24 organisations that have experienced a terrorist-related incident. The research found that the success of communication is often determined by the strength of security culture within the organisation. As a result, the guidance encourages PR professionals to align closely with the security function as part of crisis preparations.

Emma Leech, president of the CIPR, said: ‘The fear and horror we feel when people and places we work for or represent are targeted by terrorists has to be separated from the way we manage communication in a time of unique crisis. It demands a clear and calm response that demonstrates empathy and understanding for those affected by these tragic incidents.

‘It is imperative that we consider the operational and emotional needs of the organisation and its stakeholders, and allow sufficient time for planning and recovery. I’d like to thank the CPNI for working closely with the CIPR on the guide and hope that the lessons we’ve highlighted provide support and assurance to PR professionals across the UK.’

Sally Alsop, MD of Agfora, which worked on the research, said: ‘Agfora interviewed 30 comms professionals in high risk businesses; 13 had been directly involved in a major crisis. Although generally well prepared, they readily admit they could always do more. The assumption is that a terror related crisis should be treated like any other, but the research shows there are clear differences and demand for specific guidance. Participants shared their experiences with us, the lessons they learned and tips for fellow colleagues who might one day face such an incident.’

The guidance was produced for the CIPR by Sarah Pinch, Dan Gerrella and Claire Spencer.

George McGregor and Emma Petela

Public Affairs Board announces first Executive Committee since PRCA merger

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The Public Affairs Board has announced its Executive Committee for 2019/20 to help fulfill its role of ensuring transparency, enforcing high standards, and promoting a wider understanding of public affairs and the contribution it makes to public life.

This is the first Committee since APPC members voted to merge the organisation with the PRCA in November 2018. This led to the creation of the Public Affairs Board as a unified body for the public affairs market.

The 19-person panel is led by continuing co-chairs George McGregor, managing partner at Interel and Emma Petela, director at GK Strategy [both pictured]. The Committee also includes representatives from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland alongside a representative from the NextGen Public Affairs Group, the immediate past leadership, and members from across the PRCA Public Affairs Board.

The full Executive Committee for 2019/20 is:

  • George McGregor CMPRCA, Interel (Co-chair)
  • Emma Petela CMPRCA, GK Strategy (Co-chair)
  • John Morrison MPRCA, Morrison Media (Scotland)
  • Cathy Owens MPRCA, Deryn (Wales)
  • Gráinne Walsh MPRCA, Stratagem NI (Northern Ireland)
  • Tiffany Burrows MPRCA, Newington (NextGen Public Affairs)
  • Paul Bristow FPRCA, PB Consulting (Past Chair)
  • Lionel Zetter FPRCA, Zetter’s Political Services (Past Chair)
  • Laura Blake MPRCA, Connect
  • Flora Coleman MPRCA, Transferwise
  • Gavin Devine MPRCA, Park Street Partners
  • Elin de Zoete MPRCA, PLMR
  • Scott Dodsworth MPRCA, H+K Strategies
  • Tom Frackowiak MPRCA, Cicero Group
  • Mark Glover FPRCA, Newington Communications
  • Liam Herbert MPRCA, Individual Member
  • Chris Martin MPRCA, Ketchum
  • Gill Morris FPRCA, DevoConnect
  • Michael Stott MPRCA, Lansons

McGregor and Petela said: ‘We are lucky enough to have a pool of talented, experienced individuals willing to contribute their time, effort, and ideas to improving our industry. We would like to welcome members of the Executive Committee – old and new – and look forward to working with them all on ethics, transparency, representation, and shaping the very future of our industry.

‘To reiterate our priorities as co-chairs, our aims are to build a more powerful voice for public affairs; to champion and uphold ethical public affairs; and to promote diversity in the public affairs industry.

‘We would like to thank all the members involved: representing PRCA Public Affairs Board members is a privilege and we aim to meet – and exceed – their expectations of us.’

All members take up their positions immediately and remain in place until the time of the next scheduled Public Affairs Board Executive Committee election in June 2020. The co-chairs were re-elected unopposed. The first meeting of the new Executive Committee was last night (Monday, 17 June 2019).

Spy

Political Headlines – Rory the spy, Gove’s Brexit beliefs and homeless camps removed

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Today’s political headlines includes suggestions Rory Stewart could have been a spy, Gove’s claims that the final two candidates must believe in Brexit, homeless camps removed and half of Tories would be happy with Farage as leader. 

Stewart may have been MI6 spy
The Daily Telegraph suggests that Rory Stewart may have worked for MI6 as a spy prior to his election, with a ‘Whitehall security source’ telling it that he was recruited while at university and worked for the service for seven years. He has denied being a spy but has also pointed out that even if he had been, he would be legally obliged to deny it. He has now secured the backing of David Lidington, the de-facto deputy prime minister, in the leadership contest, and is the second favourite with the bookmakers. 

Gove claims that the final two candidates must ‘believe in Brexit’
Writing in The Times, Michael Gove calls on MPs to ensure the two leadership candidates they put to the party membership ‘believe in Brexit’, arguing against choosing a pair of candidates who will ‘polarise our party’. The paper claims that this is an attempt by Gove to undermine Rory Stewart’s campaign and secure his own place in the final round. Sajid Javid has also claimed that ‘blue on blue’ attacks are damaging the party’s prospects. 

Number of homeless camps removed trebles
In an exclusive, The Guardian claims that the number of homeless camps which local authorities forcibly removed has more than trebled since 2014, rising from 72 to 254. Charities say that this is a sign of a growing homelessness problem due to changes to welfare, poorly-funded support services and insecure housing. Over the same period, complaints about such camps have grown by 448%. 

Almost half of Tory membership would be happy with Farage as leader, poll finds
A YouGov poll of Conservative members for The Times finds that 46% of them would be happy for Nigel Farage to become party leader, while 40% would be unhappy. 68% of members want to attract voters from UKIP and the Brexit Party, compared to just 25% from Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Farage has admitted that he has been approached by Tory donors but rejected the idea of a pact between the two parties. 

Parliamentary standards authority doesn’t recognise maternity leave, Creasy says
Writing in The Guardian, Labour MP Stella Creasy claims Parliament is effectively telling her to ‘choose between being a mum and being an MP’. She is pregnant but has been told by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority that it does not recognise maternity leave and won’t automatically provide extra support. She was also forced to work as normal without further support after suffering two miscarriages. 

Mothers should live with children in prison
The Daily Telegraph carries details of a new report commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and conducted by Lord Farmer, which argues that women in prison should be kept with their children in mini-prisons in the community in an attempt to break the reoffending cycle. Such a scheme would target those jailed for less than two years for offences such as theft, fraud or minor assaults. 

Government rejects ‘fast fashion tax’
The Daily Mail says that the Government is being criticised after it rejected the Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s suggestion of a ‘fast fashion tax’ of 1p per item in order to cover the costs of collecting and recycling the 300,000 tonnes of clothes incinerated or sent to landfill each year. Instead, ministers claim to have developed their own initiatives, including encouraging voluntary efforts by the industry. 

Hammond criticises Johnson over unfunded spending commitments
According to The Sun, Chancellor Philip Hammond has criticised Boris Johnson for making unfunded spending commitments on tax cuts and faster broadband, with just Rory Stewart acceding to his request that leadership candidates stick to sensible spending plans. Speaking at Mansion House in the City of London, Hammond urged ‘all candidates to be cautious’ and said the lack of agreements was ‘a disappointment’. 

Does Rory’s rise matter to you? Find out with Vuelio Political Services.  

Podcasts

What’s your podcast strategy?

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Podcasts have finally become mainstream media, with big tech companies creating infrastructure to support millions of global users. With listener numbers rapidly increasing, podcasts are now a viable channel for PRs to reach new and existing audiences.

Since The Ricky Gervais Show in 2005, every year has been the year of the podcast. They’ve always been the ‘Next Big Thing’ and if you weren’t into podcasts you were probably behind the times (or even worse, too old!). While anecdotally this may have seemed true, it’s only now – in 2019 – that technology is supporting large-scale growth and podcasts are going mainstream.

Whether it’s Spotify making a number of podcast acquisitions and changing its UI to separate music and podcasts; Apple killing iTunes and replacing it with Music, TV and Podcasts; or the BBC launching BBC sounds – podcasts are big business.

How do podcasts fit into your comms strategy?
In many ways, podcast content is still finding its feet. While there are distinct categories – such as fiction stories, comedy, true crime and health – the types of content PRs are used to working with is now playing catch up.

But it’s playing catch up in a big way – the BBC has its own platform and the Guardian and Economist have been creating popular podcasts for years. They’re now joined by many other national titles who cover everything from the arts to business and politics. Presenters and guests are typically traditional journalists and columnists, which means PRs don’t even need to create relationships with new people to reach a podcast’s audience.

Remember it’s a podcast
It may seem obvious but there are a couple of key things to remember that make podcasts different to print or digital content. First, this is a channel for intelligence and thought leadership, which means – at the moment – it’s probably not the right place for campaign promotions. Podcasts are often discussions, so find ways to add value with informed speakers or valuable information. Check out the Journalist Enquiry Service for the typical requests journalists send out for podcast contributions.

The second, and perhaps most obvious point, is this channel is audio only, which means no visual contributions. If you have radio PR experience, then you’ll already be ahead of the competition.

Outside of media relations, PRs can also get involved through advertising – whether that’s via the presenters themselves (in which case it’s very similar to the influencer marketing model) or on the platforms.

The Drum reports that Spotify now allows advertisers to target free users based on podcast preferences, the first time it has segmented its audience by podcasts rather than music. This will allow you to target relevant audiences from business and tech to lifestyle and health. It’s being rolled out across 10 territories with Samsung and 3M already testing the tool.

This is just the beginning for what’s finally deserved the title of the Next Big Thing. As podcasts grow even more popular throughout 2019, expect more sophisticated targeting and advertising, as well as new content types, formats and PR opportunities to emerge.

Did you know Vuelio lists podcasts alongside newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, vlogs and broadcasters? Find out how the Vuelio Media Database can help you get ahead.

Conservative party

Political Headlines – Tory leadership debate and Watson to challenge Labour to back remaining in the EU

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Today’s political headlines includes criticism of Johnson for missing debate, Watson to challenge Labour to back remaining in the EU, May to announce mental health package and Johnson makes broadband pledge. 

Johnson criticised for missing debate
The Times reports that Boris Johnson was taunted by rival leadership contenders during yesterday’s Channel Four debate for refusing to participate, with Jeremy Hunt asking how Johnson would be able ‘to deal with 27 European countries’ when ‘his team won’t allow him out with five fairly friendly colleagues’. The paper adds that the other candidates criticised Dominic Raab for refusing to rule out suspending Parliament to enable a no-deal Brexit, with Rory Stewart branding the suggestion ‘undemocratic’ and ‘deeply disturbing’.

Watson to challenge Labour to back remaining in the EU
According to The Guardian, Labour’s Deputy Leader Tom Watson will use a speech today to challenge Jeremy Corbyn, claiming Labour ‘must argue strongly to remain in Europe’, adding that he supports ‘Europe because I am a socialist’. A Shadow Cabinet meeting has been cancelled at short notice, supposedly because some members couldn’t attend, but the paper says that some remainers believe that the leadership wished to avoid a confrontation.

May to announce mental health package
The Sun is claiming a ‘huge victory’ for its ‘You’re Not Alone’ campaign as Theresa May is set to announce today that all teachers will be trained to spot mental health issues, with updated statutory guidelines on schools’ responsibilities, more support for schools to tackle self-harm and greater funding for councils.

Johnson makes superfast broadband pledge
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson promises to give every home in the UK access to superfast broadband within six years if he becomes Prime Minister, eight years quicker than the Government’s current plans, which he says are ‘laughably unambitious’. He argues that ending the ‘deep digital divide’ is part of his ‘moral mission to unite Brexit Britain’.

Hancock backs Johnson
The Times reports that Matt Hancock has endorsed Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign, calling him ‘the best candidate to unite the Conservative Party’ and vowing to ‘hold him’ to his promises to be a One Nation Conservative and to support business. A cabinet minister from a rival campaign said it was ‘less of an endorsement and more of a surrender’.

Campaigners worried cannabis is being unofficially legalised
An investigation by the Daily Mail has found that nine out of ten users and growers of cannabis do not receive criminal charges, with the proportion of users charged for possession falling from 27% in 2017 to 22% last year. David Green of the thinktank Civitas sad that the police had ‘unofficially legalised cannabis in many parts of the country’ despite doctors being ‘increasingly worried about the impact on the mental health of cannabis users’.

Tory donors in talks about electoral pact with the Brexit Party
The Daily Telegraph claims that donors to the Conservatives are in secret talks with Nigel Farage about the potential for an electoral pact between the Tories and the Brexit Party. It would see Farage agree not to stand candidates against Brexiteer Conservatives, while the Tories would not stand in northern Labour-held seats. A businessman told the paper that talks were at a ‘very preliminary’ stage.

Corbyn supports ‘Grenfell: Never Again’ campaign
The Daily Mirror says Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has given his party’s support to its ‘Grenfell: Never Again’ campaign. Corbyn said the Grenfell Tower fire was ‘a symbol of a failed housing system and the grotesque inequality in modern Britain’, criticising the Government’s lack of progress in removing flammable cladding from private buildings.

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Boris

Political Headlines – Tory leadership race dominates the headlines

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Today’s political headlines includes Johnson allies telling vanity candidates to withdraw, Johnson under pressure over TV debates, Umunna joining Lib Dems and the Mirror’s Grenfell, Never Again campaign. 

Johnson allies tell ‘vanity candidates’ to withdraw from contest
The Daily Telegraph reports that supporters of Boris Johnson are calling on ‘vanity candidates’ to pull out of the Conservative leadership election after seven of the ten candidates got through the first round, but Johnson secured 114 votes, ahead of Jeremy Hunt who had 71 fewer than him. Matt Hancock is apparently considering withdrawing and endorsing Sajid Javid.

Johnson under pressure over TV debates
According to The Times, Boris Johnson is under pressure to appear in television debates as all the other candidates did agree to. In a joint statement they said that debates would ‘shape and define’ their visions for the UK, while a spokesman for Johnson said that he was in talks with Channel 4. David Gauke, who supports Rory Stewart, said that if candidates ‘have something to hide they should not be running’.

Umunna joins Lib Dems
The Times reports that Chukka Umunna has joined the Liberal Democrats, saying that he was ‘wrong’ when he thought that a new party could succeed and had ‘vastly underestimated the importance of having an infrastructure’. He called on others to follow him and ‘to grab the chance to fundamentally change the system for ever now’. Lib Dem leader Vince Cable added that he was in talks with other MPs about possible defections.

Mirror launches ‘Grenfell, Never Again’ campaign
The Daily Mirror has launched a ‘Grenfell, Never Again’ campaign, marking two years after the fire at Grenfell Tower. It says that ‘tens of thousands of people are still living in unsafe buildings, families are still waiting to the rehoused and fire service funding has been cut’ and calls for the removal of risky cladding, sprinkler fitment, fire service cuts to be reversed and an independent body to oversee it, and an independent tenants’ rights regulator.

Major attacks leadership candidates over proroguing
The Guardian says that Sir John Major has ‘launched a blistering assault’ on the Tory candidates who have suggested that Parliament could be prorogued in order to ensure a no-deal Brexit. He accused them of ‘hypocrisy on a gold-plated standard’ and said that it was ‘fundamentally unconstitutional’. It adds that Rory Stewart has said that he would set up an ‘alternative parliament’ if Boris Johnson were to prorogue Parliament.

Raab claims he’s the candidate most feared by the EU
The Daily Telegraph says Dominic Raab has claimed that he is the Tory leadership contender who the EU would fear the most, telling the paper that as Prime Minister he would focus on those earning £15,000 a year, not those earning £50,000 a year. He denied having a ‘short temper’ and said he couldn’t speak about the NDA involving a former colleague.

IoD warns businesses aren’t prepared for October Brexit
The Financial Times reports that the Institute of Directors has warned that businesses have not made much progress in preparing for Brexit in October despite the growing probability of a no-deal Brexit. It calls on them to step up their preparations as they ‘cannot afford to put their faith in politicians to produce a Brexit resolution’.

Hammond tells candidates to promise to keep national debt falling
The Sun reports that Philip Hammond has written to the Conservative leadership candidates to ask them to commit to keeping the national debt falling, warning that failing to do so would risk losing the distinction between his party’s ‘fiscal responsibility’ and Labour’s ‘reckless promises’.

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AI Summit feature

Does AI hate women? Female role models in data and AI

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For the past two days, The AI Summit has played host to the brightest brains in AI and technology from around the world. Ethics was high on the agenda, and as AI technologies advance, this discussion becomes more important, particularly around gender – both in development of the technology and ensuring it works effectively for all.

‘The importance of female role models in data and AI’ was a panel session chaired by David Reed, editor of DataIQ, who opened the discussion with the question on everyone’s lips: does AI hate women?

On the panel to answer this loaded question was Angela Livingstone, founder of Pitch Bitch; Diana Akhanho, senior insights manager at Tech Nation; Caroline Carruthers, director at Carruthers & Jackson; Clare Mortimer, executive partner, cognitive and analytics leader UK and Ireland at IBM; and Magda Piatkowska, head of data science solutions at the BBC.

While the panel were in agreement that AI was less favourable to women, they saw this problem as an opportunity for change, rather than a restriction. Mortimer said, ‘The more AI comes into our lives, the more conversations happen’, reinforcing Carruthers’ point that we need to ensure the people developing this technology are aware of the world outside of their own to create solutions that work for all.

All the panel members are part of Women in Data, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting and empowering women in an industry historically dominated by men. Akhanho explained the organisation’s purpose, she said, ‘The reason why Women in Data exists is to empower people to help alleviate this issue’.

The conversation moved on to whether we can, or perhaps should, classify something as ‘female’. Livingstone said, ‘It’s not helpful to split things into male/female’ and Carruthers supported this point, she said: ‘We need to put the human into AI rather than assume gender’.

One of the challenges of creating AI technology that works for all is the lack of women in the industry; 2.1 million people work in UK tech but only 17% of these are women. Piatkowska commented that she’s found it easier to recruit female data scientists rather than female developers and believes this is due to the role of data scientist being a reasonably new profession.

The panel agreed that while they struggled to identify with the title of role model, they wanted to encourage and empower as many girls and women into STEM, creating more visibility. Mortimer summarised this: ‘We define diversity by what we see, but we need to be diverse by mindset, creating true diversity’.

As the creators of this new and evolving technology, we have the power to make AI work effectively for all, involving a diverse range of people along the way at every stage of development.

The AI Summit took place at the ExCel Centre in London on 12-13 June 2019. Hundreds of exhibitors were joined by speakers from the likes of Google, Microsoft and IBM, covering topics such as how AI is transforming the lives of NHS staff and using AI for good.

Tim Liew Slouching towards thatcham

Daddy blogger spotlight: Tim Liew, Slouching Towards Thatcham

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Tim Liew is the blogger behind Slouching Towards Thatcham, which was recently ranked in the top 10 UK Daddy Blogs once again. Covering life as a father of three – with his fitness journey and incredible musical parodies along the way – Tim’s blog is known for its honest and insightful take on being a dad. We caught up with Tim to find out about being able to pick and choose collaborations, the changing roles of fathers in society and his broad range of favourite blogs.

How do you describe what you do to other people?
I often describe myself as ‘a writer who just happens to have a blog’ rather than being a ‘blogger’ in the more commercial sense. I don’t write for a living and I don’t necessarily write to nurture an audience either.

My blog has always been a form of self-therapy that helps make sense of my thoughts and experiences and record them for posterity. If some of my stories resonate with people or reassure them that they’re not alone on the rollercoaster ride that is fatherhood, that’s a bonus – but it’s not why I write. If I’m being pretentious (which I will admit I often am) I would say ‘scribo ergo sum’: I write therefore I am.

How do social channels work with your blog – are any more important than others?
I primarily use a combination of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Broadly speaking, Facebook is for traffic, Twitter for conversation and Instagram for fun.

Determining the ideal mix is really up to you, though. Some people rely on Pinterest a lot. Others will openly admit they just don’t get Twitter but feel they need to be on there. There’s a lot of pressure, particularly for those trying to make a living from blogging, to be always-on on every channel. But my advice to any blogger is to focus on a few channels that you enjoy the most and to share the best possible content across them. It’s better to have a big presence on a few channels than to spread yourself too thinly across all of them.

What’s the perfect Father’s Day?
A little bit of ‘me’ time and a lot of family time. I’m not bothered by material gifts at all. Most years the best presents I get are hand-drawn cards from the kids and their proud grins as they serve up breakfast in bed.

How much does Father’s Day affect your content?
It doesn’t, really. I have often written about my Father’s Day experiences in the past but I don’t make a point of generating lots of Father’s Day content such as gift guides or best days out every year. If I have something original to write, I will, but I don’t force it.

How is the role of dad changing in society?
It still has some way to go but it has changed enormously in my lifetime alone. So many dads are much more involved and present in their children’s lives than our fathers were. And it goes way beyond changing the odd nappy or ‘babysitting’ the children while mum’s out. You can see it in the increasing number of stay-at-home dads or the number of fathers who do the school run or share childcare responsibilities. The lines between ‘dads’ and ‘mums’ have blurred. Increasingly we’re now ‘parents’ and more of us expect – and thrive on – the added responsibility and time with our kids.

What’s the best balance between visual and written content?
A little from column A, a little from column B. Visuals – whether it’s photos, longer-form video or Instagram Stories – are increasingly important and can make a blogger really stand out from the crowd. But – and I knowingly say this with the bias of someone who has always been a writer first – the words are still important. A blogger’s visuals are the equivalent of a film trailer that draws you in but it’s their words that are the movie itself, adding substance to the style. These days you need to be good with both.

Do you accept press releases?
I do occasionally but only if it is something that genuinely interests me or sparks off some creative ideas of my own.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I do very little commercial work nowadays so I can afford to pick and choose. But all my best collaborations have been built on two-way relationships with brands I have an emotional collection with. I respond best when working with a brand who is genuinely receptive to my ideas, as opposed to ‘We just need a blog post and an Instagram story by Friday’. And, of course, it’s always easier to produce great content about products you already feel good about. I’ve always been honest with my reviews and I won’t write half-hearted platitudes just to keep a marketer happy.

What advice would you give to PRs/brands reaching out to you?
Appreciate the value that bloggers can bring and treat us as creative partners rather than blank advertising hoardings. Yes, I know you need us to deliver audiences and numbers. And I know you’re talking to 100 different bloggers about ten different campaigns at the same time but treat a blogger well and they will not only deliver great content for this campaign but will be a willing partner for you on future projects too.

What other blogs do you read?
I read several of the other dad blogs in your top ten but I also read across a variety of different genres beyond parenting. As a lifelong Arsenal fan, I religiously read Arseblog and listen to its sister podcast, the Arsecast. I love professional cycling so my go-tos are The Inner Ring for his expertise and Velovoices for their fan-led views (full disclosure: I founded the latter, although I’m not involved with it any more.) And, as a former TV reviewer, my first port of call is often The AV Club for their in-depth and thoughtful observations on my favourite US shows.

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Boris Johnson

Political Headlines – Boris, Brexit and the Tory leadership race

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Today’s political headlines includes Johnson vows to leave the EU, Labour fails to block no-deal, Tory candidates campaigning for the top job and Sedwill criticised for online talking to leadership front runners.  

Johnson vows to leave EU on 31 October but faces criticism for dodging questions
The Daily Telegraph says that Boris Johnson has said he has the ‘guts and the courage’ to ensure that the UK leaves the EU by 31 October, warning of ‘mortal retribution’ from voters if MPs stopped Brexit. He now has 81 declared supporters, more than twice as many as any other candidate. The Times claims that Johnson has assured senior Brexiteers that he will not rule out suspending Parliament to stop it from blocking a no-deal Brexit, while the Daily Mirror reports that he ducked questions about his past use of cocaine and other issues.

Labour attempt to block no-deal Brexit blocked
The Guardian reports that a Labour-led cross-party move to prevent a no-deal Brexit was blocked by 11 votes yesterday. Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer warned Conservative leadership candidates that his party would ‘use whatever mechanism it can’ to prevent such an outcome, though former Conservative MP Nick Boles cautioned that ‘it is very hard to see where any further legislative opportunities will come from’.

Stewart appeals for votes, Javid is the ‘change candidate’ and Hancock can beat Corbyn
The Sun says that Rory Stewart is appealing for votes so that he can get through the first round of the leadership contest, telling the paper he is ‘one or two votes short’ and MPs should ‘give me a chance’. The Times reports that Sajid Javid used his campaign launch yesterday to claim that he was the ‘change candidate’ and criticised ‘the same old insiders with the same old school ties’, while The Guardian says Matt Hancock claimed he could beat Jeremy Corbyn by ‘turning the page’ on Brexit and ‘putting pounds in people’s pockets’.

Sedwill criticised for only talking to leadership frontrunners
According to The Times, Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill is being criticised for only having held talks with the two frontrunners in the Conservative leadership contest, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. A spokesman for Dominic Raab described the news as ‘disappointing’ while another campaign said ‘the civil service should be treating all candidates equally’.

Mail hails victory in Post Office campaign
The Daily Mail is hailing a victory in its campaign against Post Office closures after business minister Kelly Tolhurst announced a new review of the pay of postmasters, which she wants to ‘be concluded as soon as possible to ensure postmasters receive a fair wage’, starting with a summit today.

NAO issues warning about Help to Buy
The Financial Times reports that the National Audit Office has warned that the Government’s Help to Buy scheme has exposed the Government to ‘significant market risk’ and that some buyers who have made use of it are at risk of entering negative equity. The scheme was introduced in 2013 in a bid to help more people buy homes for the first time.

Channel 4 may ‘empty chair’ Johnson if he refuses debate invite
The Sun claims that Channel 4 may ‘empty chair’ Boris Johnson in its planned televised leadership debate on Sunday. Johnson is apparently the only one of the candidates not to have agreed to appear. His campaign insists that it is in talks with all broadcasters, with the BBC planning a debate on Tuesday and ITV a head-to-head between the last two candidates.

Cabinet note warns UK not ready for no-deal in October
The Financial Times has seen a confidential Cabinet note which warns the UK is not prepared for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, especially with regard to medicines and border control. The note, prepared for a meeting on 21 May but not circulated, claims many plans in place have only ‘a minimum viable level of capability’, while others had ‘material’ shortcomings.

The leadership race is not the only important political story – stay up to date with the areas that matter to you with Vuelio Political Services.  

Bojo

Political Headlines – Boris on top and Labour’s attempt to block no-deal

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Today’s political headlines includes polls favoring Boris for PM, Labour launching an attempt to block no-deal, May to make net zero emissions target legally binding and Oxfam given three weeks to reform. 

New poll shows Johnson would deliver best election results for Tories
The Daily Telegraph reports that Boris Johnson is to launch his Conservative leadership campaign today, pledging to leave the EU on 31 October no matter what, and warning that further delays will ensure that the party will ‘kick the bucket’. A new poll by ComRes released today suggests that Johnson could win up to 140 seats if he led the party, increasing its share of the vote from 23% to 37% – much more than any of his rivals.

Labour launches attempt to block no-deal Brexit
The Guardian says that Labour is today launching the first stage of a cross-party attempt to block a no-deal Brexit. It is tabling a motion backed by the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Conservative MP Oliver Letwin which would give MPs control of the parliamentary agenda on 25 June, allowing legislation to prevent a no-deal Brexit to be commenced. To pass, the support of more Tory MPs will be needed.

May to make net zero emissions target legally-binding
The Guardian reports that Theresa May is to make a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 law, putting forward an amendment to the Climate Change Act today. This has been welcomed by environmental campaigners, though concerns have been raised by the use of international carbon credits which Greenpeace argues will ‘shift the burden to developing nations’.

Oxfam given three weeks to reform or it will lose aid funding
The Times reports that the Charity Commission has told Oxfam to produce a reform plan within three weeks or lose access to funding from the taxpayer permanently. The official warning was issued following a report into the charity after revelations about sexual exploitation in Haiti and harassment and discrimination in the UK became public last year. A source at the commission said that Oxfam’s ‘broken promises were a recurring theme’.

Javid tells Tories not to pick a ‘comfort zone choice’
The Times reports that Sajid Javid will today tell Conservative MPs that they shouldn’t make a ‘comfort zone choice’, arguing that he offers ‘a new kind of leadership and a new kind of leader’. He will be introduced by the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson who will claim that her leadership shows that success follows picking ‘someone totally different’.

MPs raise concerns about NHS waiting times
The Financial Times carries details of a warning by the Public Accounts Committee that health leaders have a ‘troubling’ lack of understanding about the harm caused to patients by growing waiting lists. Just 38% of NHS trusts meet the 62-day waiting time limit to treat urgently-referred cancer patients.

Thousands sign petition on pensioners’ TV licences
The Sun says that over 249,000 people have signed an Age UK petition calling on the BBC to change its mind about abolishing free TV licences for the over-75s. Tory leadership candidate Matt Hancock said that the decision should be reversed, while Michael Gove and Esther McVey pledged to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee.

Cabinet bickers over no-deal Brexit preparations
According to The Times, Cabinet ministers were split over no-deal Brexit preparations at their meeting yesterday. Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay criticised the Treasury, raising concerns about a ‘drift’ in planning, while Home Secretary Sajid Javid claimed that Chancellor Philip Hammond had ignored a request for more border force funding; Hammond said that he hadn’t seen it, with Javid later submitting a formal request.

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Barry Leggetter PRCA international president

PRCA goes global with membership drive and new chapter in Lebanon

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The PRCA has made two international announcements: it has launched its global membership drive, with 16 corporate members already signed up, and announced a new chapter opening in Lebanon.

The global membership initiative was announced at the PRCA’s inaugural International Conference by Barry Leggetter, who was recently appointed international president. He said: ‘Today, the PRCA announces that we are going global. As the world’s largest and most dynamic PR professional body, we have a duty to grow the industry and the profession worldwide.

‘PRCA international membership will allow all international practitioners to grow their careers, their talents and their knowledge. Crucially, PRCA international membership will provide the gold standard of ethical accreditation – adherence to the PRCA Professional Charter and Codes of Conduct.’

The first 16 members to join are:

  • Action Global
  • Absolute
  • Ardency
  • Bellbird
  • Best Communications
  • BNY Mellon
  • Boman Communications
  • EMG
  • Fabiola Morera Comunicationes Ltd
  • Golin
  • GPLUS
  • SEC Global
  • Strategic Communications Africa
  • Strateus Group
  • TandT Consultants
  • Weber Shandwick

PRCA Lebanon
Following this announcement, the PRCA has also launched PRCA Lebanon as the latest chapter of PRCA MENA. It will be chaired by Beirut-based industry leaders Suzanne Talhouk MPRCA, General Manager, Levant, H+K Strategies, Joumana Rizk-Yarak MPRCA, Managing Director, Mirros and Myrna Abou Mrad el Khoury MPRCA, CEO, The Full Circles.

Founding members include leading Lebanese consultancies Asdaa BCW, H+K Strategies, MIRROS Communication & Media Services, Quantum, and The Full Circles.

PRCA Lebanon is holding its launch event on Tuesday, 25 June, 2019 at The Gathering, Pasteur Street, Gemmayze, Beirut, from 18:30 to 21:00. If you would like to join as a founding PRCA Lebanon members to be announced at the launch night, please get in touch with [email protected].

Diary of the Dad

Daddy Blog Spotlight: Tom Briggs, Diary of the Dad

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Tom Briggs is the man behind Diary of the Dad, which recently shot up the charts in the Top 10 UK Daddy Blogs. Started in 2010, Diary of the Dad has gone from hobby to full-time profession as Tom tracks life parenting three kids. We caught up with Tom to find out what makes father’s day special, why his own dad is his hero and how he works with different brands and PRs.

How do you describe what you do to other people?
I just tell them I’m a full-time blogger. People sometimes still ask how that works but blogging for a living seems to have become much more recognised as ‘a thing’ in the last couple of years.

This doesn’t necessarily equate to people respecting it as much as other career choices yet, but it’s just a matter of time. Perceptions of social media jobs have changed dramatically since the first ones were advertised and the same will happen here.

How do social channels work with your blog – are any more important than others?
I think they’re all important as they appeal to different audiences so I have a presence on all of the main platforms.

Personally, I’ve always preferred Twitter but I think it’s vital to be on a few – particularly if you make a living out of blogging.

What’s the perfect father’s day?
This probably sounds really cheesy but spending the day with my family is all I need. The usual routine is breakfast in bed with a gift and cards from the kids.

We often go to my parents’ house for a barbecue, so I get to spend time with my dad too. In fact, we play five-a-side together every Sunday evening as well. I hope I’m still playing when I’m almost 70 – it’s one of the many reasons he’s my hero!

Tom Briggs and dad

How much does father’s day affect your content?
It has always been my busiest time of year in terms of approaches from brands and PRs, so that translates to my blog content.

It’s also a good opportunity to write about topics related to being a dad. Last year, for example, I wrote posts calling out dad-bashing and dad skills lists.

How is the role of dad changing in society?
I think we’re in the early stages of a cultural shift in attitude but it will still take years or even decades for dads to be truly recognised as equal parents. Workplace legislation has a key part to play here. It needs to change to help things along.

Paternity leave is woefully inadequate while shared parental leave is open to relatively few, so dads are already at a disadvantage. I’d love to see the UK following in the footsteps of countries like Sweden by making it easier for fathers to spend time with their families from day one.

What’s the best balance between visual and written content?
I started out as a journalist so written content has always been more important to me. Achieving a balance is vital though and, to a certain degree, blog posts will succeed or fail based on how they look at first glance.

I’ve really upped my game with photography in recent years and need to get braver when it comes to creating more video content too.

Do you accept press releases?
Yes, I’m always open to receiving press releases and they’ve led to some brilliant collaborations as well as ideas for content that has performed really well.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
There have been so many over the years and I’ve only ever agreed to things that really appeal to me, so most have been great. Going to Berlin with Coca-Cola to blog about its annual grassroots football event ranks highly though.

I witnessed kids from all over the world making friends over the common language of football, met three World Cup winners and even scored a diving header in the match arranged for media and PR!

What advice would you give to PRs/brands reaching out to you?
The best approaches I’ve received are where the PRs or brands have taken time to read my ‘work with me’ page plus a post or two to get a feel for who I am and the kind of content I work on.

Those that come with a detailed brief are always good too. Having all of the important information in one place makes collaborations so much easier, particularly if a quick turnaround is required.

What other blogs do you read?
I read a lot of other parenting blogs and, perhaps unsurprisingly, many of them are written by other dads. Dad Blog UK, DIY Daddy and Father Hood are among those that I read most often.

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Bojo

Political Headlines – Tory leader candidates attack BoJo

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Today’s political headlines includes Gove’s personal attacks on Boris; Hunt, Gove and Raab attack Boris’ tax cut plans; and BBC faces backlash over acing of free TV licences for over 75s.

Gove’s personal attacks on Boris
The front page of The Daily Telegraph focuses on Michael Gove’s ‘personal attack’ on Boris Johnson, which it calls ‘an act of desperation’. Yesterday Gove joked ‘whatever you do, don’t pull out – I know you have before’. The newspaper says Gove is quickly losing ground to Jeremy Hunt, who it claims is now Boris’ main rival in the leadership race.

Hunt, Gove and Raab attack Boris’ tax cut plans
The Times reports that Conservative leadership contenders have criticised Boris Johnson’s plans to cut taxes for the wealthiest. Boris has been accused of making the Conservative Party look like the ‘party of privilege’, as he revealed plans to raise the threshold for higher rate income tax from £50,000 to £80,000.

BBC faces backlash over axing of free TV licences for over 75s
The Daily Mail reports on the BBC’s decision to scrap free TV licences for the over 75s, which is referred to as ‘BBC betrayal of the elderly’. From June 2020, only those on pension credit will be eligible for a free TV licence. The Daily Mirror claims that a lot of anger is being aimed at the Government, as during the 2017 election, the Conservatives promised that free TV licences for the over 75s would be maintained.

Rory Stewart warns ‘electoral bribes’ by Tory Leadership candidates risk party reputation
According to the BBC, Rory Stewart has warned leadership rivals against offering ‘cheap electoral bribes’, saying the Tory membership are ‘smarter than this’. As opposed to ‘being straight with the people’, Stewart said his opponents had pledged ‘eye-watering’ tax cuts worth £84bn. He is expected to propose that any money available from a negotiated Brexit deal should instead go towards technical education and digital infrastructure.

EU take ‘deeply critical’ view of Tory leadership candidates
The Guardian reports that after a Brexit hiatus, Brussels is watching the Tory leadership race with both ‘amazement and exasperation’. According to the Guardian, the EU see bookies’ favourite Boris Johnson as a ‘Trumpian figure’, remembered for his time working as Brussels correspondent of the Daily Telegraph in the 1990s where he mocked EU regulations and promoted ‘Euromyths’. Meanwhile, Dominic Raab is said to be held in low esteem after losing the trust of EU counterparts during his time as Brexit Secretary.

We’re only on day two of a six week campaign – keep up to date with Vuelio Political Services.