Brexit

Political Headlines – Brexit, HS2 and carbon targets

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Today’s Political Headlines include ‘the worst possible Brexit deal’. EU planning a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario, Chinese firms as frontrunners to operate HS2 and the Government warning it will miss carbon targets. 

May’s former aide warns that the UK risks ‘the worst possible Brexit deal’
The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May’s former aide Nick Timothy has warned that the UK risks agreeing what the paper calls ‘the worst possible Brexit deal’, with free movement of workers set to effectively continue under proposals to be discussed by the Cabinet. Ministers have been warned that there are only six weeks of negotiations left to agree a deal by the EU summit in October. The Guardian claims that Theresa May will tell her fellow leaders that the Government is making progress on Brexit at today’s EU summit.

EU works on no deal Brexit as it prepares to issue warning about negotiation progress
The Financial Times says that the EU is increasing work on emergency plans to cope with a hard Brexit, including transitional measures covering transport, financial services and customs to be implemented if no deal is agreed. The paper also claims that Theresa May will be given a ‘serious and grave’ warning over the progress of Brexit negotiations by fellow EU leaders at today’s summit.

Chinese firms are frontrunners to operate HS2
The Times reveals that the Chinese firms Guangshen Railway Co and MTR are the frontrunners to operate HS2 because two British-led consortia, including Virgin and First Group, are unwilling to take on the financial risk required. Final bids are due early next month, with a decision due next May.

Government warned that it will miss carbon targets
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Committee on Climate Change, which warns that the Government will miss its legally binging carbon budgets in 2025 and 2030 because not enough progress had been made in cutting emissions from buildings and transport. The committee, chaired by the Tory peer Lord Deben, accuses ministers of not pursing low-cost options such as onshore windfarms, home insulation and tree-planting.

Truss rebuked by Downing Street over speech
According to The Times, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, has been rebuked by Downing Street after she criticised Government policies and mocked Michael Gove in a speech. The Financial Times suggests that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson could quit if he doesn’t secure extra funding. The Daily Mail adds that senior backbenchers are becoming fed up with Cabinet infighting, with Nigel Evans telling ministers to ‘put a sock in it’.

Welsh Conservative leader resigns
The Guardian reports that Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative leader, has resigned ‘unexpectedly’. The paper says that supporters and opponents of Davies have linked his resignation to his support for Brexit and his comments about Airbus last week, which were criticised for being ‘inflammatory’ by defence minister Guto Bebb.

Mordaunt to use foreign aid to support Commonwealth veterans
The Daily Telegraph says that Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, will announce today that the aid budget will be used to support war veterans living in poverty in the Commonwealth. She will also outline plans to work with the Ministry of Defence to support islands in the Commonwealth affected by hurricanes.

Clark requests £100m for satellite system feasibility study
The Financial Times claims that Greg Clark, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, has made a formal request to the Treasury for £100m to fund a two-year feasibility study for a British satellite navigation system as an alternative to the EU’s Galileo programme. Officials plan to launch the first tenders for the new system in the autumn.

Learn more about Vuelio Political Services. 

CIPR NHS 70 70

NHS comms staff receive a birthday present from the CIPR

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A joint agreement between the NHS and the CIPR will see NHS communicators receive special discounts and offers with the CIPR to commemorate the seventieth anniversaries being celebrated by both organisations.

The NHS was formed in Manchester on 5 July 1948 in what is now Trafford General Hospital, just five months after the CIPR was founded in St Bride’s, Fleet Street in London.

The agreement means NHS employees are entitled to a £70 discount off the first-year joining fees with the CIPR. NHS employees can also take advantage of a 10% discount on CIPR training workshops, with further discounts available for on-site in-house training.

Sarah Hall, President of the CIPR, recently published the third edition of her #FuturePRoof series, which exclusively focuses on communications within the NHS. Commenting on the deal with the National Health Service, she said: ‘We often talk about the drive to professionalism and our aspiration for membership of a professional body to be a prerequisite for employers.

‘This is an important step in that direction for one of the UK’s largest employers on its seventieth anniversary and I hope many of the NHS’s hardworking comms professionals will be inspired to take advantage.’

Rachel Royall, director of communications at NHS Digital, said: ‘Over the last 20 years I’ve benefitted from professional networks, training, qualifications and I’ve also met some of my closest friends through the CIPR. As a communicator in the public sector it is great to learn from professionals across the broadest spectrum of industries and backgrounds and to bring that learning back into my role as a communicator in the NHS.’

The announcement has been timed with the release of the third and final episode of the CIPR’s Platinum Podcasts series, which mark the Institute’s 70th anniversary and its upcoming commemorative book Platinum.

The last podcast explores the challenges facing modern public-sector communications and features Jen Robson, head of communications for the North East Enterprise Partnership and Liz Davies, head of communications at South Tyneside & City Hospitals, Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts.

You can listen to the podcast here, and find out more about the NHS offer here. 

PRCA

PRCA pledges £50K to Taylor Bennett Foundation

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The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has pledged £50,000 towards PRCA membership and training fees to alumni of the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s new summer internship scheme.

The Taylor Bennett Foundation was established in 2007 and provides training, mentoring and internships for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students and graduates to encourage them to pursue a career in communications and improve ethnic diversity more broadly in the comms industry.

The Summer Stars scheme is for 35 BAME students and graduates, who will complete a week of lectures at the London College of Communication, followed by a minimum of four weeks on a paid PR work placement. A number of high-profile corporate firms and PR agencies have signed up to take part in the programme, including Facebook, Barclays, British Airways, Porter Novelli, Brunswick, Text 100, and The Academy.

The PRCA’s recent 2018 census revealed that the industry is very slowly improving its ethnic diversity but there is clearly still a great deal that needs to be done for the sector to be truly diverse – particular as a majority of the industry is based in London, a city famous for its diversity, where the PR and comms industry is still 71% white British.

Francis Ingham, director general of the PRCA, said: ‘We’re delighted to offer the alumni of the Foundation’s Summer Stars scheme the opportunity to benefit from the £50,000 of funding we have set aside for them to access PRCA membership and training. We are constantly striving to improve diversity within the PR industry, and this offer will give the interns access to industry renowned talent and resources to help them progress their careers further.

‘As it is our charity of the year, I implore members to be generous with their time and knowledge when it comes to the Taylor Bennett Foundation.’

Sarah Stimson, chief executive of the Taylor Bennett Foundation, said: ‘This is an incredibly generous offer from the PRCA, which continues to be a huge supporter of the Foundation and of taking practical action to improve ethnic diversity in the communications industry.

‘The interns will benefit enormously from access to membership and training and are very excited about starting their career journey in communications. The Summer Stars programme has been designed to encourage more BAME students and graduates to consider communications as a viable career choice and we hope the combination of training and practical work experience will be instrumental in opening up PR job opportunities at entry level to people from more diverse backgrounds.’

Gavin Williamson

Political Headlines – Gavin Williamson, Greg Clark, Liz Truss and taxing over-40s

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Today’s Political Headlines include Gavin Williamson asking for more money, Greg Clark pushing for a soft Brexit, a social care tax for over-40s and Liz Truss mocking colleagues. 

Gavin Williamson to ask the Prime Minister for up to £4bn extra defence funding
The Times claims that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is to ask the Prime Minister for up to £4bn additional funding for the armed forces at a meeting next week, but that there are no plans for any new funding to be agreed. The Daily Telegraph says that the USA’s National Security Adviser, John Bolton, has told his UK counterpart, Sir Mark Sedwill, that the US is concerned about the damage being done to the UK armed forces by spending restraints.

Greg Clark pushes for soft Brexit deal
Speaking at The Times’ CEO Summit, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark said that he wanted to avoid a no-deal Brexit, continue to benefit from ‘labour mobility’ and wanted to keep single market access for services as well as goods. Theresa May also spoke at the event, saying that she was listening to business. The Guardian reports that the CBI and the TUC have joined forces to demand ‘measurable progress’ in the Brexit talks, while The Sun says that Theresa May is to bypass her Brexit committee by inviting the whole Cabinet to agree on Brexit plans at Chequers next week.

Committees call for over-40s to be taxed to fund social care
The BBC says that a joint report by the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government and Health and Social Care Committees has called for a new tax, called a social care premium, for the over-40s to pay for elderly care. The tax would also be payable by retired people with lucrative pensions or investments.

Truss attacks calls for higher spending and mocks colleagues
The Times reports that in a speech last night Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, attacked ministers who had called for increased public spending, telling them that it wasn’t ‘macho’ to do so and that they should tackle ‘vested interests’ instead. She attacked regulations and standards, joked about ‘wood-burning Goves’ and said that there was ‘enough hot air and smoke at the environment department already’.

Labour to cut number of MPs needed to nominate leadership candidates
The Guardian claims that reforms to be proposed at Labour’s conference this autumn will see a reduction in the number of MPs needed to nominate a candidate for party leader and give party members the right to vote for local council leaders. A source told the paper that this ‘virtually guarantees’ a left-wing candidate could follow Corbyn as leader.

Report warns of young people’s exposure to gambling advertising
The Daily Mail says that a report by the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board claims that nine out of ten young people have been exposed to gambling advertising on TV or social media, calling this an ‘uncontrolled social experiment on today’s youth’ which risks gambling becoming ‘normalised’. The report makes 30 recommendations for action.

Sturgeon reshuffles Scottish Government
The Herald reports that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has started a ‘dramatic’ ministerial reshuffle, with six ministers leaving the Scottish Government and the number of cabinet posts increasing from ten to twelve. Those departing include Health Secretary Shona Robinson, Communities Secretary Angela Constance and Economy Secretary Keith Brown.

Uber granted new licence to operate
The Financial Times reports that ride-hailing app Uber will be able to continue to operate in London. A judge ruled that Transport for London was right not to renew the firm’s licence last year, but that Uber has now made sufficient changes. The new licence will last fifteen months and has several conditions attached, leading Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to warn that the company is ‘on probation’.

Find out more about what Vuelio Political Services can do for you. 

Amanda Coleman

Crisis Comms webinar: People should be at the heart of your crisis communications says Greater Manchester Police’s Amanda Coleman

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People – and their welfare – should be at the heart of your thinking when reacting in a communications crisis says Amanda Coleman, the head of corporate communications at Greater Manchester Police.

Ultimately, if you consider your actions and the impact they have on people, then you are doing the best thing for your company, she told the audience of our recent webinar Crisis Comms – Lessons from Greater Manchester Police.

‘People have to be at the heart of what you are doing. Most importantly it is the people affected – by the incident – and the wider public. If you have people at the heart of your thinking, you are likely to make the right decisions,’ she stressed.

‘We talk a lot about the plan, processes and procedures – and they are important – but you have to have people at the heart of it all.’

Coleman, who has been in her role during some challenging times for Manchester – including the 22 May Manchester Arena terrorist attack last year – said the focus on people should include support for the comms teams working in a crisis.

Initially, as events unfolded after the attack last year, she explained that the comms team at Greater Manchester Police worked 12-hour shifts, were undertaking ‘draining and emotional jobs’ and needed to be supported too. They showed how resilient they were, she added.

She said that investigating the opportunities for further support from other police forces in the UK was part of her ongoing planning for the future.

In the webinar, Coleman set out the key principles of crisis communications and answered questions from the audience. Two key areas she covered were:

• Planning and preparation are essential for crisis communications but you have to be flexible if a crisis occurred. Lessons in communications were taken from other incidents in London, she said, but Manchester is unique and some things are done differently. ‘You can look at the risk areas but you have to have flexibility to adapt when you respond to a crisis,’ she explained.

• The importance of speed in your first response to breaking news. ‘When we had the Arena attack the speed of getting the first response out was crucial’, she said.

‘Crisis communications is such an important area and you do need to be ready for it’, Coleman added.

A recording of the webinar, together with copies of Amanda Coleman’s presentation, will be available next week.

Third runway

Political Headlines – Heathrow, election law reform, budgets and Brexit

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Today’s Political Headlines include vote for the third runway at Heathrow, election law reform, attacks against unsustainable budget increases and BMW’s Brexit warning. 

MPs vote for third runway at Heathrow
As The Times reports, last night MPs voted in favour of a third runway at Heathrow, with a majority of 296, following the imposition of a three-line whip by the Conservatives, Labour’s decision to allow a free vote and the SNP abstaining. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who has opposed the proposals, missed the vote as he was in Afghanistan, drawing criticism from fellow Tories. The paper adds that various councils, Sadiq Khan and Greenpeace are launching a legal challenge to the decision.

Electoral Commission calls for ‘urgent’ reform of election law
The Guardian reports that the Electoral Commission has called for urgent reform to the law, as British democracy ‘may be under threat’. The regulator has called on the Government to change the law in order to tackle misinformation, misuse of personal data and overseas interference. Its recommendations are particularly targeted at digital campaigning.

Truss attacks calls for ‘unsustainable’ budget increases
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, attacks calls by fellow ministers for ‘unsustainable’ increases in their budgets, warning that this would result in the Conservatives being ‘crushed’ and would be a ‘complete contradiction of the Brexit vote’. Instead, she calls for ‘better value for money’. She also criticises colleagues for ‘talking about banning things’ and promises to review ‘over-regulated’ jobs.

BMW warns that UK plants could close if Brexit causes delays
The Financial Times reports that BMW has warned that it will have to close its plants in the UK if it cannot import components from the EU quickly and reliably. Customs manager Stephan Freismuth said ‘if at the end of the day the supply chain will have a stop at the border, then we cannot produce our products in the UK’, but added that the company didn’t ‘want to give up our UK plants’.

Commons Defence Committee report recommends spending increase
The BBC says that a report by the Commons Defence Committee recommends that defence spending should increase from 2% to 3% of GDP, in order to maintain the UK’s influence with the USA and in NATO. It recommends spending the extra funding on increased readiness and anti-submarine warfare, countering Russian threats.

EU to offer better trade deal if UK relaxes red lines
The Sun claims that the EU is to call for a ‘realistic and workable’ vision for post-Brexit UK-EU relations and introduce an ‘evolution clause’ into the conclusions of the leaders’ summit later this week. The clause promises that the EU will ‘reconsider its offer on trade, in the event that the UK changes its red lines. The paper adds that French President Emmanuel Macron is set to rebuke the UK for the lack of progress in negotiations.

Hungary warns that no deal would be ‘very devastating’ for the EU
The Daily Mail has been told by the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, that if the EU failed to reach a trade deal with the UK, its competitiveness would ‘further decrease’ and a ‘very devastating’ situation would result. He also criticised attempts to exclude the UK from participating in joint security projects.

Government rejects tidal lagoon plans
The Guardian reports that the Government has rejected plans for a £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay because it judged the scheme to be too expensive when compared to other energy sources such as offshore wind and nuclear power. Government analysis suggested that supporting the lagoon would have cost the average consumer £700 more by 2050.

 

Need to know? You need Vuelio Political Services. 

The Formula for Influence?

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The PHA Group recently published its Influence Formula, new research that aims to determine how influential any brand or business truly is. Vuelio, which is no stranger to measuring influence, joined the launch event to discuss how different people measure influence in different ways.

The Vuelio Influencer Rating, used to score and rank media professionals from journalists to bloggers, uses over 40 data points and our proprietary AI to determine a unique score for individuals in our Influencer Database. The PHA Group formula takes a different approach to measuring influence – it focuses on organisational influence, uses a panel of consumers, and bases its measurement on 12 distinct elements:

  • Trust
  • Relevance
  • Communication
  • Experience
  • Leadership
  • Core values
  • Impact
  • Simplicity
  • Inspiration
  • Challengers
  • Heritage
  • Emotion

The first three – Trust, Relevance and Communication – were determined to be the most important by The PHA Group’s research group.

All relationships are built on trust and for The PHA Group, this is fundamental for the formula. Trust is a common part of influence measurement – it is one of the Reputation Institute’s (RI) RepTrak measurements, which also include ‘Esteem’, ‘Admire’ and ‘Feeling’. RI measures reputation rather than influence, but the two are inextricably linked.

At Vuelio, our Influencer Rating is used to identify individuals our users wish to build relationships with rather than to determine the current status of that relationship. This shows the different stages of influence as it is consumed by an audience – initially influence is used to attract consumers/clients/PRs (which is where the Vuelio Influencer Rating comes in) then it is used to justify reputations (what RI does) and show areas of strength and weakness (part of how The PHA Group is measuring it).

Klout was probably the most famous example of the first stage of influence consumption – used to publicly rank people on Twitter. The recent downfall of Klout was attributed to the advent of the GDPR but it had already lost its own influence through loss of trust and its declining reputation. While it is unclear what the Klout formula was, it is clear it had its flaws as it often ranked noisy people over genuinely influential people. Klout was one of the data points for our AI-led Influencer Rating, but it was just one of many, which is why Klout’s demise didn’t materially affect the Rating.

Back to human intelligence, The PHA Group worked with a statistician to create the final Influence Formula, based on the 12 elements. The formula looks like this:

Formula

There are three ways The PHA Group believes the formula can be used:

  1. To establish whether UK businesses or brands are focusing their efforts in the right areas to ensure they are maximising their influence
  2. To benchmark the level of influence across UK businesses, brands and sectors
  3. To track national, industry or brand level trends

To put it to the test, The PHA Group used the formula on Forbes’ Top 5 Global Brands of 2017: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Coca-Cola.

So, what were the results?

Google came out on top, with a high score for ‘relevance’; Apple was second, noted for its high score in ‘instilling emotion’; Microsoft was third; Coca-Cola fourth; and Facebook brought up the rear in fifth. Facebook was considered the least likely to be a ‘challenger’ and the ‘most untrustworthy’ – and this was before the recent troubles it has faced.

The PHA Group believes the formula will have a multitude of uses for the comms industry, from being able to identify how a brand is performing and where it needs to improve, to using the score as a measurement for the evaluation of comms activity.

The last point is surely the Influence Formula’s crowning glory; what brand wouldn’t want to know how influential it is and measure how that changes – especially when compared to the competition?

If you’d like to find out how influential your media contacts are, check out the Vuelio Media Database.  

Coming home

6 PR Goals for a winning 90 minutes

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Want to go one better than England? Score six quick PR goals in the next 90 minutes AND keep a clean sheet.

1. Research, research, research
No journalist, blogger, member of the public or politician is going to take you seriously if they don’t think you know what you’re talking about. In-house? Take 15 minutes to read the latest news and features on your company’s sector. Agency? If you specialise in a sector, great, take 20 minutes to read about the latest news – especially anything that’s about your clients. No specialism? Focus on just one area you have important clients in; you can catch up on the others later, tomorrow or next week.

2. Grow your network
Take 15 minutes to find new contacts that are relevant to your sector. Make sure their bio says they work with comms and check out their latest content to see if it’s a good fit for a future pitch (football or otherwise). If you grow your network by just five people each week, you’ll know an extra 260 people at the end of the year.

3. Send out a comment
It may be one of the simplest press releases to create, but journalists are always keen to hear from experts to add colour and richness to the news. If you work in sport, you should be all over this after the weekend saw the Queen’s tennis final, Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the French Grand Prix and signs from the World Cup that football possibly IS coming home. If sport’s not your thing, check out the political headlines, or any news headlines and see where your management or clients could intelligently add to the news agenda. And check what’s coming up; planned events (whether it’s the World Cup or otherwise) give you time to plan comments in advance.

Half time
Take a break and have lunch – you’re only human.

4. Check out the competition
Don’t make this an obsession; it can be easy to be so focused on your competitors that you lose sight of what you’re doing (and probably doing well). Take 20 minutes to run through your competitor monitoring, see what’s being said, and check if they’re controlling the conversation or if the conversation is controlling them. Staying on top of the competition is a great way to benchmark your own brand, spot opportunities and avoid abject failures.

5. Prove your worth
How often do we hear that PR and comms have to prove themselves to get a seat at the table? Why won’t the c-suite take our industry, and its value to their business, seriously? Take 25 minutes to prove your worth by putting together proof of your success, and show how you are meeting your objectives. Maybe you’ve achieved coverage, maybe you’ve got your CEO on TV, maybe sales have increased off the back of a viral campaign, or maybe your business is now the number one in your sector. Whatever it is, measure it and own it.

6. Call Vuelio – 0203 426 4125
We’re in stoppage time, but that’s okay because it only takes one minute to call Vuelio and get the software you need to achieve your goals. Want a database of amazing media and political contacts, with detailed bios to help you target them? No problem. Need a distribution service that targets your network and includes special features so you are GDPR compliant? Easy. How about monitoring that keeps track of your sector, your company and your competition so you know what’s being said and by whom? Certainly. And high-level analysis, showing levels of coverage and campaign success, with beautiful reports and presentations that can be shared with a simple link? Naturally.

Vuelio has everything you need to make your life easy and takes the pressure out of the game. Whether it’s our Influencer Database, News Distribution or Canvas – Vuelio’s integrated software is in your starting XI so you know you’re guaranteed a win.

Politics on Sunday – Hunt, health, defence and Fox

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Sunday’s political programming featured Jeremy Hunt, Liam Fox, Nia Griffith and Dan Jarvis with everything from health to defence on the table – and the usual helping of Brexit.

Jeremy Hunt was the most high-profile guest across the political shows this weekend. He was asked about the announcement last week on the additional funding for the NHS; Marr pressed Hunt on where the money will come from. Marr said Jeremy Corbyn would not be able to not say how he would fund such a proposal, which is what the Government is currently doing. Hunt said it will be announced in the Budget in November.

Over the weekend an announcement was made by the Department of Health and Social Care on the second part of the Childhood Obesity plan. Hunt spoke on the progress that has been made on this. He said the Government has introduced the soft drinks levy and they are committed to halving childhood obesity by 2030. Hunt said the big chains will have to give people nutritional information but was hesitant to say all vendors would have to do this.

Hunt was asked questions on Brexit and he condemned the threats that businesses make surrounding Brexit. The Health Secretary said it was inappropriate for such a story to be in the news at such a crucial stage of the Brexit process. He said these warnings undermine the Prime Minister and impact the odds of the UK getting a good deal, and that he is not surprised that large multinational companies have a problem with Brexit. Hunt also gave his analysis on the stance of the European Commission: they were never going to say it was easy or make it easy for Britain to go through this process and this is part of their negotiating tactics. Hunt also poured cold water on some of the doom and gloom analysis, saying a lot of experts have been proved wrong in the past with their forecasts.

Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox was interviewed by Sophy Ridge and said he does not mind waiting a bit longer to minimise disruption and get things done correctly. Fox also said that Europe is not the centre of the world and the UK is doing less trade with the EU than 10 years ago. The Trade Secretary said it was a possibility for the UK to walk away from the negotiations if politics are put before economics. He signalled he does not think this will happen as the Heads of State will put their own economies before the EU. Fox also signalled that he is open to changes to rules in the House of Commons after Naz Shah had to leave hospital and vote in a wheelchair for the vote on the Brexit bill.

Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Nia Griffith represented the Labour party on Marr, and she was asked whether it was her or Jeremy Corbyn who oversees the party’s policy on defence. Marr pointed towards Corbyn being very critical of NATO and whether Labour were committed to it. Griffith answered by saying they are and they want to take a leadership role within NATO so they can shape the way it works. She also took questions on the amount of spending Labour would commit to defence spending; Griffith said they will match the Government’s spending plans for defence but did not commit any further spending.

Mayor of Sheffield and MP, Dan Jarvis, was another guest on Ridge. He thinks the North has not been treated the same way the South would be, using the example of funding for transport. He also gave an insight into his role as Mayor, saying they do not currently have a budget or an agreement on the powers he has. He said this is a problem, it is down to not being able to come to an agreement in the region and Jarvis said for Devolution to work, an agreement needs to be reached. He was also asked why there were not more women working in politics; Sophy Ridge said men have taken up the leadership roles in the city regions and perhaps if this is about taking power away from Westminster surely it would make sense to diversify it more. Jarvis said from his experience women are good at working in politics and he thinks more women don’t get involved due to the perceptions of what working in politics is like and they get more abuse than their male colleagues.

Check out our Canvas of all the best coverage from the Sunday Political shows here and find out how to make your own Canvas here.

Sunday Politics

 

 

New runway

Political Headlines – Heathrow, Defence, Brexit and home ownership

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Today’s Political Headlines include the Heathrow third runway vote, Labour’s promise to end defence outsourcing, over 50 Tory MPs ready to block a no-deal Brexit and a former adviser to Theresa May calls to unlock home ownership for young workers. 

Grayling calls on Tory MPs to back third runway
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has urged his party’s MPs to back a third runway at Heathrow in today’s vote, arguing that Brexit means that the UK needs ‘to demonstrate clearly that out future lies very much at the heart of the world stage.’ Some Conservative MPs have criticised the absence of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who had previously promised to prevent the scheme. The Guardian adds that Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite, has written to Labour MPs, calling on them to back the scheme, bringing him into conflict with the party’s leadership.

Labour to promise end to defence outsourcing
The BBC reports that Nia Griffith, the Shadow Defence Secretary, will promise in a speech today that a Labour government would end outsourcing of large defence contracts and criticise the performance of firms such as Capita and Carillion. The Daily Mail says that allies of Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson have claimed that dozens of Conservative MPs could vote to block the budget if defence spending isn’t increased.

Over 50 Tory MPs ready to block no deal Brexit
The Financial Times claims that ‘senior Conservative politicians’ believe that over 50 Conservative MPs, including some current ministers, are prepared to block any attempt by the UK to leave the EU without a deal. The paper also reports that Downing Street is trying to reassure businesses following dismissive remarks from two Cabinet ministers.

Former adviser calls on May to unlock home ownership for young workers
The Sun reports that Conservative MP Neil O’Brien, a former adviser to Theresa May, is calling for a million new houses to be set aside for workers under 40. A report by his new think tank, Onward, calls for half a million new homes to be built for rent to those under 40 with discounts of up to a fifth, and for Government support for 500,000 loans for deposits.

MPs and campaigners call for Home Office fees to be cut
The Guardian says that MPs and campaigners are calling for Home Office fees for asylum, immigration, nationality and customs services to be reduced urgently. The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, David Bolt, launched a consultation on the charges, and Labour MP Stephen Doughty claimed that it is ‘never acceptable’ for the Home Office to profit from applications.

New research shows that over 30,000 children are in gangs
The Times says that new research shows that over 30,000 children aged between 10 and 15 claim to belong to gangs. Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield warned that criminals prey on young people by ‘taking the place of society’, with analysis by her office showing that up to 70,000 under-25s could be part of a gang network.

No trade deal with US if geographical protections maintained, Paul Ryan warns
The Daily Telegraph claims that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has written to Brexit Secretary David Davis, warning that he has been told by senior Republican Paul Ryan that a free trade deal with the US would not be possible if EU geographical indication protections for food and drink such as Champagne and Parma ham are maintained after Brexit.

Pro-Corbyn group launches campaign for a ‘people’s vote’ on the deal
The Guardian reports that a pro-Corbyn group is to launch a campaign for a ‘people’s vote’ on the final Brexit deal. The group, Labour for a People’s Vote, is led by former Momentum members and trade union leaders, with activists from 62 local parties pledging to raise the issue in a motion to Labour’s conference in September.

 

Don’t get caught out by politics – Vuelio Political Services create bespoke reports for your topics of interest. 

Five Things: World Cup, Influencers, Goals, Trump & Trump

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This week’s Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed immediately breaks a promise we made last week, and features stories on the World Cup, influencers, brands using goals for donations and the two Trumps.

1. Most watched TV

World Cup

Last week, Five Things promised not to cover the World Cup because it was taking place across a whole month. This week, our top story is England’s opening game becoming the most watched TV event of the year, surpassing the royal wedding. Sorry for lying.

An average audience of 13.7m tuned in to watch England thrash* Tunisia 2-1, with a peak audience of 18.3m in the closing minutes. It was the most-watched England World Cup match since the famous* 2-2 draw against Sweden in 2006, and the ninth highest viewing figure for an England World Cup match ever.

Back of the net!

 

2. Unilever tackles fake influence

Unilever

Keith Weed, CMCO at Unilever, is no stranger to hitting the headlines, having recently threatened to withdraw the company’s digital adverts from platforms that fail to deal with hate. This week, Keith has attacked influencer fraud, saying: ‘The key to improving the situation is three-fold: cleaning up the influencer ecosystem by removing misleading engagement; making brands and influencers more aware of the use of dishonest practices; and improving transparency from social platforms to help brands measure impact. We need to take urgent action now to rebuild trust before it’s gone forever.’

Keith made three pledges:

  • Unilever won’t work with influencers who buy followers
  • Unilever has promised its own brands will never buy followers
  • The business will prioritise partners who increase their transparency and work to eradicate nefarious practices throughout the digital ecosystem

As the practice of buying followers and then selling your accounts as influential is fraud – the first two shouldn’t be surprising, though they are still likely to have an effect on the market. It’s the third one, and how Unilever plans on identifying fake influencers, that will really change influencer marketing around the world. While it is very unlikely to signal the end of influencer marketing, it is likely to cause a shift in the way businesses deal with the rise of the influencers, and it should be felt at all levels. Hopefully, it’ll just get rid of the fakers, but all remains to be seen.

 

3. Goal donation

Betting

‘Not ANOTHER World Cup story?!’ Again, apologies.

Two companies have recently hit the headlines for what, on the surface, seem to be very similar campaigns, but each has provoked a very different reaction.

Mastercard announced that for every goal scored by Messi or Neymar Jr (up until 2020), the company would donate 10,000 meals for children in Latin America and the Caribbean. The announcement was criticised by people who have compared it to the Hunger Games. As reported by Campaign, comments have been broadly negative, including: ‘This is the biggest PR own goal in a long time’.

At the other end of the spectrum is Paddy Power. The famously cheeky betting company has announced that for every World Cup goal scored by host nation Russia, the company would donate £10,000 to LGBT-related football causes. This not only fits in with Paddy Power’s existing marketing style, it also takes a hit at Russia’s anti-LGBT laws and raises money for good causes. The betting company has partnered with the Attitude Magazine Foundation in order to carry out the donation, which is again a shrewd move to make sure the campaign was received in the right way.

Paddy Power’s ‘From Russia With Equal Love’ donation is currently at £80,000, and the brand has personally thanked the top scorers for contributing so much.

 

4. I really don’t care, do u?

Flotus coat

Tone deaf or genuinely heartless? Melania Trump has been photographed on her way to see a ‘migrant child detention centre’ (think of that as a venue title) wearing a coat bearing the words ‘I really don’t care, do u?’. The jacket was a surprisingly cheap (in FLOTUS terms) $39 from Zara. Her spokesman said ‘there was no hidden message’ in the coat. Donald Trump then tweeted the message was about the Fake News Media.

The BBC has put together a list of five things (that’s our concept!) the coat message could be about: it is just a jacket, it’s about the fake news media, it’s a message to her husband, she was dressing down, or she actually doesn’t care about the children at the border. What is clear is that the move is a PR disaster that’s gained a lot of attention (again, this has been suggested as another possible explanation because it’s drawing attention away from the real issue: child migrants separated from their families at the border).

 

5. The other Trump

Time Magazine

Not to be outdone by another Trump, POTUS rounds off the top five. Time magazine has once again featured the President on its front cover, though this one is unlikely to be framed on his office wall. Featuring the President standing over one of the migrant children who was assumed to be in the process of being separated from its mother (now revealed to not be the case), the caption reads: ‘Welcome to America.’

The disaster that is child migrants at America’s border is catastrophic and, from a comms perspective, it’s one of the year’s most poorly handled crises (which is saying something). Trump is due to visit the UK in July, and this latest scandal has heaped more pressure on the UK Government to act. Roll on 13 July.

 

Did we miss anything? Let us know on Twitter. 

 

*Lols

political headlines 22.06

Political Headlines – Airbus relocating, Brexit no-deal, Greg Hands

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Today’s Political Headlines include Airbus preparing to relocate outside of the UK, Juncker increasing preparations for a no-deal Brexit and Greg Hands’ resignation.  

Airbus prepares to relocate business over Brexit fears
The Times reports that Airbus is preparing to abandon plans to build aircraft wings in the UK, assuming a ‘worst-case scenario’ and stockpiling components. A risk assessment warns that the company, which employs 14,000 people in the UK with a further 110,000 jobs in its UK supply chain, would have to ‘reconsider its footprint’ in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The firm delivered its warnings privately to the Prime Minister three weeks ago.

Juncker warns that EU is increasing no deal preparations
According to The Guardian, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned the Irish parliament that he was increasing preparations for a no-deal Brexit, including a new peace programme in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Daily Telegraph reports that the US ambassador, Woody Johnson, has told the British to be less ‘defeatist’ towards Brexit. The paper also warns that ‘violent criminals’ could be among the 4m EU citizens given the right to stay after Brexit, with Iain Duncan Smith claiming that the scheme is too generous. The Sun claims that Theresa May is to launch a tour of European capitals at the end of July, in a bid to ‘jump-start’ trade talks.

Hands quits over Heathrow, increasing pressure on Johnson
The Guardian claims that the Prime Minister is ‘facing a fresh crisis’ after Greg Hands, an international trade minister, quit his post so that he could vote against the third runway at Heathrow. The paper says this has increased pressure on Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, to vote against the runway. He is currently scheduled to be out of the country.

Probation system in a ‘mess’ after failed reforms, MPs say
The BBC says that a report by the Commons Justice Committee has concluded that the probation system is in a ‘mess’ and that it was ‘unconvinced’ that reforms introduced in 2014 could ever deliver an effective service. The Government has acknowledged that there had been ‘challenges’ and that a review would be published next month.

Hammond pledges to fight for the City in Brexit talks
The Financial Times reports that Philip Hammond used his annual address at Mansion House to promise to fight for the City of London in Brexit talks. He accused the EU of not putting forward a ‘credible’ alternative to UK proposals. Hammond said that the Treasury was not ‘the enemy of Brexit’ but wanted to work ‘closely’ with the EU.

Commons spent £2.4m on gagging clauses
The BBC’s Newsnight has learnt that the House of Commons has spent £2.4m on ‘gagging clauses’ for former staff since 2013. A spokesperson claimed that these were used ‘to resolve employment disputes’, but Jill Rutter of the Institute for Government said their use was ‘impossible to justify’.

Government to promote fruit-picking to jobseekers
According to The Times, the Government is producing guidance to convince unemployed people to work in fruit-picking. Two thirds of farms have reported a shortage of applicants this year, and Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has met industry representatives.

Increase in defence funding unlikely, despite Williamson’s campaign
The Guardian says that ‘Whitehall sources’ have claimed that there is unlikely to be an increase in defence spending over the next year, despite a campaign by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson. Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, Theresa May yesterday refused to confirm that the UK was still a ‘top-tier’ military power.

 

Want political news specific to your sector? Find out more about Vuelio Political Services. 

Northamptonshire County Council and Greater Manchester Police take home awards at PSCA 2018

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Northamptonshire County Council and Greater Manchester Police were among the winners at the UK Public Sector Communications Awards (PSCA) last night (Wednesday June 20).

Northamptonshire County Council won the Integrated Communications Campaign of the Year award, which was sponsored by Vuelio, for its One Thousand Shoes initiative, which uses footwear as a theme showing the high number of children in care in the county.

According to the PSCA judging panel, One Thousand Shoes was ‘a great concept which demonstrated originality and was highly interesting. It was creative and simply brilliant, striking an emotive yet important tone.’

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) won Communications Team of the Year at the event which the organisers say celebrate and reward excellent communication strategies and campaigns, teams and individuals in local and national government, emergency services and not-for-profit bodies from across the UK. We’re delighted that the award-winning Amanda Coleman, who is head of corporate communications at GMP, is joining Vuelio for a webinar to discuss crisis comms, on Tuesday 26 June.

Derbyshire Constabulary (Give them a Christmas to remember… for the right reasons) and Portsmouth City Council (Nightmare rental) carried off the Social Media Campaign of the Year and the Social Media Marketing of the Year at the awards, respectively.

Other winners at the event, which featured 22 separate categories and was held at the Montcalm hotel in London’s Marble Arch, included Tameside Council Communications Team (Local Communications Team of the Year) and Ecorys UK (Public Spirited Agency of the Year).

Find more information on the PSCA 2018 winners here.

Prime Minister Brexit

Political Headlines – Brexit, defence, Gosport hospital and British expats

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Today’s Political Headlines include the passing of the Brexit Bill, the UK’s defence, the Gosport hospital scandal and British expats. 

May welcomes passing of Brexit Bill
The BBC reports that Theresa May has welcomed the passing of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, following the decision of some Conservative rebels to back a compromise stance on a ‘meaningful vote’ on the final deal. The bill has now gone forward for Royal Assent. The Prime Minister claimed that this was ‘a crucial step’ to deliver a ‘smooth and orderly Brexit’, with a white paper and votes on the Trade and Customs Bill to follow in ‘the next few weeks’. The Guardian says that Labour MP Naz Shah has criticised Tory whips for rejecting a pairing request, leading her to discharge herself from hospital and vote in her pyjamas.

May asked Williamson to justify the UK’s role as a ‘tier one’ military power
The Financial Times claims that Theresa May asked Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson to justify the UK’s position as a ‘tier one’ military power at a ‘tense meeting’ on Tuesday, telling him to focus more on cyber warfare. A spokesman said that it was ‘categorically untrue’ that the position of the UK ‘as a leading defence nation is somehow in question’.

Campaigners warn that Gosport hospital scandal could be repeated
The Times says that campaigners have warned that the NHS could see a repeat of the opiate scandal that killed up to 650 patients at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital, because it still ignores whistle-blowers. An independent report into the scandal was published yesterday, and Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that the police will investigate new material raised by it and consider criminal charges, if appropriate.

Javid criticises EU member states over arrangements for British expats
The Daily Telegraph reports that Home Secretary Sajid Javid has criticised the EU for failing to match the UK’s progress on making arrangement for expats post-Brexit, ahead of the publication today of the UK’s settled status scheme for EU citizens resident in the UK. He asked the European Parliament and Commission to exert pressure on member states to publish ‘similar plans’ to ‘support British nationals in their countries’.

Chancellor to set out strategy for post-Brexit ‘global financial partnerships’
The Financial Times says that Philip Hammond will today use his annual speech at Mansion House to set out a strategy for securing new ‘global financial partnerships’ after Brexit, targeted at countries such as China, India, South Korea and Australia. The BBC adds that the Chancellor will admit that taxes will have to increase to fund NHS spending increases.

Government to introduce anti-upskirting legislation today
As the BBC reports, the Government is to introduce legislation to make upskirting a criminal offence today, after Tory backbencher Sir Christopher Chope blocked an earlier attempt by Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse. If it passes, offenders could spend up to two years in prison.

May criticises Trump’s immigration policies but defends visit
The Guardian says that Theresa May described Donald Trump’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents as ‘deeply disturbing’ and ‘wrong’, but defended her decision to invite him to the UK next month, indicating that she would raise her concerns with him when they meet.

Speaker urged to set departure date
The Daily Mail claims that friends of Commons Speaker John Bercow have told him to make a statement naming the date on which he will step down. When originally elected, he promised to serve for nine years, and that deadline will be met on Friday. MPs who have spoken to him have reportedly urged him to resign by next summer’s recess at the latest.

Want political news specific to your sector? Find out more about Vuelio Political Services. 

British Beauty Blogger

Interview with British Beauty Blogger, Jane Cunningham

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Jane Cunningham is behind one of the UK’s most popular and successful beauty blogs (ever!). British Beauty Blogger has always been consistently ranked as one of the UK’s top beauty blogs, and Jane’s knowledge and expertise when it comes to products, is hard to match.

We spoke to Jane about the future of the beauty industry, PR trips, working with brands and the importance of having a point of view.

What makes your blog unique?
It’s a reader-first blog, so I’m writing as a resource for people who read it rather than writing for brands. It’s also not really about me, but about the products. I tell the truth as I see it about beauty products – the good, the bad and the absolutely dreadful!

British Beauty BloggerHow has your blog changed from when you first started to now?
Apart from physical changes to keep the style contemporary, it hasn’t changed that much. It’s stayed as it started – a beauty product review site with industry insider insights.

What is the biggest trend in the beauty world right now?
Glossier! That whole ‘less is more’ trend is starting to gain momentum – it’s a pared back, basic approach that’s really appealing hard to a certain demographic who’d rather not clutter their apartments with piles of ‘stuff’ or have lengthy routines that use up precious time.

What will the next big thing in beauty be?
‘Clean’ beauty is gathering apace – a more holistic, natural approach rather than high-tech and complicated. Consumers also want to see brands giving back to the environment and communities so the more ‘good’ brands do outside of their immediate remit, the more they’ll be perceived as good players in the environmental global community. A lot of brands are focusing on ‘waterless’ to minimize using water – i.e. dry shampoo, soap bars, bar conditioners and shampoos for the near future.

How do you split content between text/video/audio?
My main channels are my site, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I occasionally knock out a Facebook Live but I completely favour text now; I don’t feel any pressure to start a podcast!

What’s your favourite beauty brand?
I don’t have an absolute favourite because I see so many, but brands that always grab my attention are Chanel, BioEffect, Lanolips, Urban Decay, Shiseido and Marc Jacobs. Probably more, but maybe you can see why it’s hard to have one single favourite!

How important are PR trips to your blog?
Not in the least important. They can be lovely to do but you never quite know the agenda before you get there so they can really go either way in terms of being heaven or hell!

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Do bloggers need their own association like other industries have?
I don’t see how it’s possible to implement. Blogging is just a part of the bigger social media picture now and I can’t see what the benefit could be when we’ve managed without for so long. Bloggers have to be self-regulating to a certain degree and it’s easy to spot those who aren’t, which leaves it up to brands to decide how they engage with that.

What should PRs know about you?
That I hate emails that begin ‘Hello Lovely’ and also that I’m not prepared to collude with an anti-ageing message. I’m pro-age; beauty isn’t one thing, it’s many things.

What are the best campaigns you’ve been part of?
L’Oreal True Match I think – it was great to be included in a diverse campaign where my age wasn’t relevant, my skin tone was.

What other blogs do you read? 
That’s difficult to answer because I’m a big link clicker from other channels such as Twitter or Instagram, so I can find myself on some really obscure blogs. I veer away from the ones that don’t give any real opinion or always love everything… they’re just not that useful or authoritative without a point of view.

Hayley Hall

Beauty blogging with the award-winning Hayley Hall

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Hayley Hall, the artist formerly known as London Beauty Queen, has been once again ranked as one of the top beauty bloggers in the UK. A leading member of the beauty blogging world for many years now, Hayley has twice won Best Beauty Blog at the Vuelio Blog Awards. Having relaunched her blog, including its now eponymous title, to reflect the change in her content, Hayley is going from strength to strength and remains a key figure in the industry.

We spoke to Hayley about being unique, the next big trends in beauty and working with PRs on long-term objectives.

What makes your blog unique? 
My tone of voice and the topics I cover; I try to be a ‘friend’ to my readers and talk to them just as I would in real life, giving them recommendations but also discussing the same topics that you probably would with your mates over a glass of wine. I’m not afraid of tackling taboo subjects and I like to be able to celebrate women that don’t fit into a societal size ‘normal’ too – people are very much sick of seeing carbon copies, so I hope to be able to offer a refreshing outlook and approach.

How has your blog changed from when you first started to now?
It’s changed completely. When I started it was all about what was new and what I was trying, whereas now it’s a wholehearted overview of everything in my life – the products I’m loving, what I’m wearing, where I’m going and what I’m thinking. Not only is my content a lot sleeker, but there’s a lot more of ‘me’.

London Beauty Queen

What is the biggest trend in the beauty world right now?
Personalisation – consumers want products to address their specific and changing needs, rather than being told they have to fit into three or four boxes.

What will the next big thing in beauty be?
New skincare textures; we’ve been seeing a move away from creams for a long time, but I think we’ll start seeing more water-like textures and lightweight products that deliver big.

How do you split content between text/video/audio?
It’s 99% text and imagery. I’m not huge on video, although I do have a podcast which is fun to manage.

What’s your favourite beauty brand?
It changes all the time – I wouldn’t be a good blogger if I had one I was biased towards!

How important are PR trips to your blog?
They’re great, but not essential, and they have to be relevant. It’s often fab to be able to fully immerse yourself in a brand or launch and get to really know it to ensure a long-term relationship, but they don’t guarantee anything. They should always be well executed and the objective long-term.

Do bloggers need their own association like other industries have?
I think it would be incredibly helpful, but a nightmare to manage. As it increases I do think some kind of regulatory body would be great, or some place to get all the advice and support you need.

What should PRs know about you?
That I need to feel important, ha! I need to know that you value my time and energy and that you’re interested in nurturing a long-term relationship, not out to just land as much coverage as you can. It’s transparent and, in a lot of cases, disrespectful of the skill we offer as content creators.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

What are the best campaigns you’ve been part of?
The ones that have offered me freedom to execute the objectives how I see fit, and the ones that offer more than just a single piece of content; brands I’ve loved working with have included Boots, Simply Be, Palmers, Philips and Aveeno.

What other blogs do you read?
Tons, but I’m always on the look out for new talent to follow. The interesting thing about blogging is that it’s never the end – it’s only just the beginning.

Hayley Hall and her blog, Hayley Hall, are both listings on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other bloggers, vloggers, journalists and opportunities.

Political headlines

Political Headlines – GCHQ director intervening in Brexit, ‘meaningful vote’, cannabis review

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Today’s Political Headlines include GCHQ Director intervening in Brexit, MPs voting again on the ‘meaningful vote’ on the Brexit deal and a new approach to drugs. 

GCHQ director intervenes in row over post-Brexit secuity
The Times carries details of what it calls an ‘unprecedented intervention’ by the director of GCHQ, Jeremy Fleming. He revealed that the UK had supplied information which had led to terrorist plots in four different European countries being prevented in the last year, and argued that the UK and Europe had benefited ‘from our work together on our collective security’. The paper suggests that this intervention was deliberately timed to support the UK’s attempts to secure continued participation in EU security policies.

MPs prepare to vote again on a meaningful vote on the Brexit deal
The BBC reports that MPs will vote again on the meaningful vote on the final deal with the EU later today, and that the result will be ‘tight’. Dominic Grieve, leader of the Conservative rebels, told The Daily Telegraph that his supporters were not ‘peeling away’, despite attempts by whips to persuade MPs to back the Government. According to The Times, Conservative whips have ‘given up’ on their attempts to persuade rebels and are instead focusing on getting Labour MPs in leave-voting areas to back the Government.

Police call for new approach to drugs as Javid announces medicinal cannabis review
The Times reports that the Police Federation’s board voted unanimously for a rethink on drug enforcement as current laws ‘have not succeeded’, calling for ‘an open, honest, transparent debate’. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, has announced a review of laws on the medicinal use of cannabis, but ruled out changing the law on recreational use.

Teachers should confiscate mobiles, Hancock says
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock has said that teachers ought to confiscate mobile phones at the start of the school day, as they have a ‘real impact’ on achievement and expose children to cyber-bullying. Hancock will put forward this argument at a NSPCC conference today.

Capita awarded highest risk rating and £500m contract by Ministry of Defence
According to the Financial Times, the Ministry of Defence gave outsourcing firm Capita its highest possible risk rating, shortly before it was awarded a £500m contract to run military fire and rescue services. Jim Kennedy of the union Unite said that the decision to hand the firm the contract despite the risk assessment was ‘absolutely scandalous’.

EU rules out UK participation in European Arrest Warrant
The BBC reports that EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier had said that the UK would not be able to participate in the European Arrest Warrant after Brexit because it was leaving the European Court of Justice and ending free movement. He added that the EU would instead consider a ‘streamlined’ extradition process.

Hammond refused to release NHS funding unless chief executive publicly backed plan
The Guardian says that it has been told by sources close to the NHS funding deal that Philip Hammond only agreed to it on the condition that Simon Stevens, NHS England’s chief executive, had to publicly welcome the funding. Yesterday, Stevens, who had previously called for a larger increase, said that the new funding represented ‘a clear gear change’.

Labour would give Bank of England productivity target
The Financial Times reports that Labour has announced that it will set the Bank of England a new target of 3% productivity growth, but refused to specify a time period for this. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is to launch the party’s report on the financial system today. It also calls for the Bank of England to relocate to Birmingham and more lending to small firms.

Are these headlines too broad for you? Vuelio Political Services create custom briefings and reports based on your niche or area of interest. 

Relevance Digital

Relevance International Launches Relevance Digital

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Global PR firm, Relevance International, has launched a new digital arm to meet its global clients’ needs. Focusing on creating ‘industry buzz’ with captivating strategies across social platforms, including social media management, online reputation and other digital services, Relevance Digital will be headed up by Liz Chambers.

Chambers has worked in digital PR and social media for nearly 10 years and has been the digital strategist behind a number of luxury and consumer brands including Laura Mercier, Frédéric Fekkai and Shiseido Cosmetics. Relevance International famously caters for high-end luxury clients, whether that’s in real estate, luxury goods, hospitality or corporations.

Suzanne Rosnowski, CEO and founder of Relevance International, said: ‘A compelling digital strategy is crucial for every brand, no matter the industry. Creating a digital division was a natural extension of our existing capabilities. We built Relevance by marrying strategic media relations with brand strategy, and, in today’s world, the digital component is crucial to helping our clients differentiate in the increasingly competitive marketplace.’

Rosnowski has previously spoken to Vuelio about the rise of digital media, and making traditional and social media relations go hand in hand.

Chambers has specialized in account management, community management and social strategy for leading global brands and has a keen knowledge of the ever-growing influencer space. She said: ‘Relevance has established itself as a powerhouse in public relations, and now it’s time to add key digital services and deliver truly holistic approaches. A strong online footprint has solidified its place as a must-have for all brands, and I firmly believe clients get the most effective service when their digital and traditional PR teams are working in tandem under one roof.’

Relevance International recently opened its London office and shows no sign of stopping on its path to becoming the leading global indepent PR firm. Relevance Digital will be based in the New York office but work across all accounts, including The Royal Atlantis Residences Dubai, which the UK office recently helped win.

political headlines 19.06

Political Headlines – cannabis legalisation, ‘meaningful vote’, NHS spending boost

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Today’s Political Headlines include Lord Hague calling for cannabis legalisation, the Government being defeated by the Lords over Brexit ‘meaningful vote’ and Hammond warning that the NHS spending boost leaves no cash for other policies

Lord Hague calls for cannabis legalisation
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, former Conservative leader Lord Hague claims that the war against cannabis has been ‘comprehensively and irreversibly lost’ and that the Conservatives should ‘be bold’ and imitate Canada, which is legalising the drug. The paper adds that Home Secretary Sajid Javid was prevented from raising the issue at Cabinet yesterday, following the controversy over the supply of medicinal cannabis to 12-year-old Billy Caldwell.

Government again defeated by Lords over Brexit ‘meaningful vote’
The Guardian reports that the Government has been defeated again by the House of Lords over the issue of a ‘meaningful vote’, after Viscount Hailsham tabled an amendment based on the deal Dominic Grieve thought he had struck with the Government last week. MPs will vote on the amendment on Wednesday. The Financial Times claims that UK negotiators are now suggesting that a deal with the EU may not be agreed until November or December, rather than early autumn as originally expected.

Hammond warns that NHS spending boost leaves no cash for other policies
The Times claims that Chancellor Philip Hammond told the Cabinet that after having to find £25bn for the NHS and other money to replace funding currently provided by the EU, there will be no funding for other policies. A cabinet minister said that Hammond had dispelled ‘any sense that the taps were about to be turned on’. The paper also reports that Theresa May has said she is prepared to use legislation to roll back Andrew Lansley’s NHS reforms.

First details of ‘settled status’ plan to be published
The Guardian reports that the Government will reveal the first details of the new ‘settled status’ immigration scheme for the 3.4m EU citizens living in the UK on Thursday. A ‘statement of intent’ will list some of the evidence they will need to provide, but will be ‘like a consultation paper’ an ‘informed source’ told the paper.

New £20m fund to combat loneliness
The Daily Telegraph says that schemes to be supported by the Government as part of a new £20m Building Connections fund to tackle loneliness include mobile coffee vans, woodworking in sheds for middle-aged men, an app for young mothers and converting redundant public spaces into ‘loneliness gardens’.

Rail firms admit they only realised the extent of problems at the ‘last minute’
The Daily Mail reports that executives from rail firms admitted to the Commons Transport Committee that they only realised at the ‘very last minute’ that their timetables would not work. The Financial Times adds that Lib Dem MP Tim Farron and local rail users have worked with a charter train operator to restore services to a line in the Lake District.

Government set to water down petrol and diesel car ban
According to the Financial Times, the UK’s plan to ban petrol, diesel and most hybrid cars by 2040 is set to be downgraded to a ‘mission’ in the ‘Road to Zero Strategy’ due to be published by the Government tomorrow. Concerns about the policy’s impact on the automotive sector have been raised by Business Secretary Greg Clark.

Javid causes rift with India over student visa scheme
The Times alleges that Sajid Javid has caused a ‘diplomatic rift’ by deciding not to include Indian students in a new fast-track visa system because of concerns about ‘non-compliance’ (i.e. disappearing after entering the country). An Indian government source told the paper that ‘relations are not at their best right now, while Lord Bilimoria warned that ‘If this is the way they treat India, they can dream on about a FTA with India.’

Are these headlines too broad for you? Vuelio Political Services create custom briefings and reports based on your niche or area of interest. 

musicfootballfatherhood

The Mumsnet for dads: spotlight on top daddy blog MusicFootballFatherhood

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Elliott Rae is the founder of MusicFootballFatherhood, which recently joined the Top 10 Daddy Blogs ranking for the first time. With a diverse team of authors covering their own experiences of fatherhood, MusicFootballFatherhood has grown rapidly since it was started in 2016.

We caught up with Elliott to find out how the team finds time to write content, issues facing fathers in the UK, the appeal of a blogging association and how the blog works with PRs.

What makes your blog unique?
We are unique as we are a collaborative platform of different bloggers. We have a team of 14 diverse bloggers who write openly and honestly about their fatherhood journey while also providing a nice mix of football and music content.

​What’s the best thing about being a dad?
Oh, there are so many great things about being a dad! Seeing my daughter learn new things is always a highlight. The unconditional love is special and she most definitely keeps us entertained with the funny things she does!

​musicfootballfatherhoodHow are daddy and mummy blogs different?
Hmm, good question. I’m not sure if they are too different at all, except the obvious gender difference. I think both mummy and daddy bloggers are parents trying to figure out this parenthood thing and seeking comfort and fun in sharing their journey with others.

​How would you describe the daddy blogging community?
It’s great actually! All the dad bloggers are very supportive of each other, we celebrate each other’s successes and share around opportunities. It’s really nice to be part of a supportive network which is very much in contrast to the dog eat dog world we live in!

When do you create most of your content?
Our content is created by our team of contributors as well as myself. For me personally, I usually create content when I’ve got some time to myself (which is usually while I’m travelling on the tube!) and when I’m really compelled to share an experience or reflection. I’m also getting more into documenting stuff on Instagram stories, which I’m finding to be a really fun and spontaneous platform.

​What are the biggest issues facing dads in the UK today?
I think work life balance is a big one. Most dads want to have thriving careers while being involved parents. It’s hard to get the balance but there are ways to make it happen. Through our website and podcast we try to provide some inspiration and practical tips for people to reflect on. I think mental health is probably the other major issue at the moment.

​Do bloggers need their own association or industry institute (and why)?
It would be nice to have an association or institute, somewhere to go for legal advice, community and training. As a blogger, you can feel a bit lost sometimes so it would be nice to know there’s somewhere you can go for community and help with issues, like the recent GDPR where no one was quite sure what to do! This is a great idea, maybe Vuelio could lead the way!

​What one thing should PRs/brands know about you?
We are the coolest and most exciting platform for dads in the country! We have a unique and engaged audience so if you are looking to reach a diverse range of dads, come and see us.

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​What are your favourite collaborations you’ve worked on?
We recently worked with Arsenal and their Junior Gunners which was a highlight and great fun. Other favourites would include the Emirates cable car experience and Memory Makers. These were all collaborations where we really enjoyed the experience and it was a pleasure to work with the respective PR teams.

​What other blogs do you read?
Between family, the blog, work and all the other things I do, I don’t have much time to read other blogs! I will usually click on a link on Twitter if an article looks interesting but I wish I had more time to follow other platforms!

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