PMQs: Theresa May’s word cloud – 7 February 2018

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This week’s Prime Minister’s Questions focused on police, women’s rights, Brexit and the NHS. We present the world cloud for Theresa May’s PMQs on 7 February 2018:

PMQs Theresa May

Women’s Rights
The Prime Minister opened by marking yesterday as the centenary of women in the UK securing the right to vote. After some Labour MPs shouted ‘some women’, May reminded the house that it was under a Conservative government that all women gained the right to vote 10 years later.

In light of this, SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford, said that 3.8 million women are still not receiving the pension they are entitled to and asked if the Prime Minister would do her bit for gender equality. This is regarding women born in the 1950s losing out due to the increase in state pension age for women. May claimed the government has already acted, and extra money has been provided to give greater protection to the women born in the 1950s, and said that an extra £1bn has been put in to ensure nobody is going to see their pension entitlement change by more than 18 months.

Conservative MP Vicky Ford asked May if she agrees the government should take no lessons on the topic of intimidation of MPs from Labour given the shadow chancellor has backed violence against women (a reference to a comment made by McDonnell about lynching Esther McVey). May called on McDonnell to apologise.

Crime
Corbyn’s main focus this week was crime, asking the Prime Minister if she regrets cutting 21,000 police officers, and added that recorded crime is up by a fifth. He referenced May’s time as Home Secretary, claiming that £2.3bn was cut from police budgets.

May defended her run as home secretary, saying she asked HMIC to change the way police crime is recorded, so it is done properly. She said the police now do more to help vulnerable people, and to tackle issues like domestic violence and modern slavery.

Corbyn claimed that people do not feel safe and are not safe, and quoted Philip Davies, a Tory, criticising the government’s record on crime, and a Merseyside police officer saying he needs more resources to tackle gun crime. May argued that Corbyn does not have a good record on giving more power to the police and said that he would bankrupt the economy and not be able to afford to fund any public services.

Labour MP Stephen Morgan said the Prime Minister continues to be ‘in denial’ about rising levels of crime and said that local businesses in his Portsmouth constituency have seen break-ins as a result of Tory cuts to the police budget. May said that those concerned should raise it with the police and said operational changes need not mean that cuts cause damage.

NHS
Veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner quoted the record of the last Labour government on NHS funding, a move not always popular with the Labour benches. He said NHS staff have told him that the best period they’ve seen was when money for the NHS was increased between 1997 and 2010 – ‘a golden period’ and then called on the government to ‘get weaving’. May claimed that the last Labour government were only able to spend that much money because the Conservatives ‘left a golden economic legacy’.

Conservative MP Derek Thomas challenged the PM on NHS funding saying its growth in the south-west is 2.2% less than the national average and asked her to address this as the region ‘deserves a fair share’. May told him the national formula does take into account a number of factors including demographics and rurality, and Cornwall will see a further increase next year.

Brexit
Tory MP Sir Bill Cash marked the anniversary of the Maastricht treaty, congratulating the PM on her approach to the customs union and asking her to be robust when discussing these matters in order to ‘repudiate any EU threats’. May assured the house that the government will be robust in any arguments.

Another Tory MP, Chris Philp, asked May for an assurance that the government will only agree the Brexit deal as a whole, and that it will not accept separate side deals. May said the government is working on the basis that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, said America wants access to NHS contracts as part of a future UK-US trade deal. He asked if the PM can guarantee that the NHS will be excluded from trade negotiations and whether she will tell President Trump that ‘the NHS is not for sale’. May said that she will go into talks trying to get the best deal for the UK. Labour Chair of the Brexit committee, Hilary Benn, followed up with a question on post-Brexit border control, asking the PM why she is so opposed to remaining in the customs union when it would be better for the economy to ensure the border remains as it is. May said if the UK was in the customs union, it would not be able to do trade deals around the world. She said Benn should read the paper the government published on customs arrangements last summer.

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Today’s Political Headlines – 7 February 2018

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Today’s Political Headlines include key meetings on Brexit, the EU’s power to punish, May’s press review and the Government overhauling employment rights for millions. 

May prepares to chair key meetings on Brexit
Theresa May is to chair the first of two meetings of her Brexit cabinet committee today, the BBC reports. Today’s meeting will focus on Northern Ireland and immigration, while tomorrow’s will focus on trade. As the BBC notes, the meeting comes as the British Chambers of Commerce criticised the Government for ‘continued division’ and warned that businesses’ ‘patience is wearing thin’. The Guardian says that the Public Accounts Committee has found that the Government has been ‘too slow’ at making preparations for Brexit, and that a University of Sussex report suggests that manufacturing exports could be cut by a third.

EU will have power to punish UK at will during transition, leaked document shows
The Guardian reports that a leaked document shows that the EU will be able to punish the UK at will during the transition period, by closing access to parts of the single market. This would allow the EU countries to act against the UK without having to go through the European Court of Justice.

May pledges review of the press, criticises online abuse of politicians
As The Guardian says, Theresa May has announced a review into whether state intervention is needed to preserve local and national newspapers, calling the decline in local journalism a threat to democracy. The review will examine the rise in ‘clickbait’ news. The announcement was made in a speech marking the enfranchisement of women in which, The Times reports, May criticised online abuse of political candidates and representatives, and praised the ‘heroism’ of the suffragettes.

Government to overhaul employment rights for millions
The Government has promised to overhaul employment rights for millions of workers, including those in the gig economy, the BBC says. Nearly all of the recommendations of the Taylor review into working practices are to be adopted, but unions warn that the plans will still leave 1.8m workers without key rights. Quoted in The Daily Telegraph, the Institute for Directors claims the Government has missed an opportunity to reform National Insurance.

Boris plans Valentine’s Day Brexit speech
The Daily Mail claims that Boris Johnson is planning on making a major speech on Brexit on Valentine’s Day to set out his vision of a ‘liberal Brexit’. Allies of Johnson told the paper that no date or venue had been set, and the paper claims that ‘the intervention will inevitably be interpreted as a bid to push his own credentials to take over from Theresa May.’ Meanwhile, The Times suggests that senior Conservatives are searching for a candidate to prevent Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg winning a sudden leadership contest.

Jack Sargeant elected for his father’s old Welsh Assembly seat
Jack Sargeant has been elected as the new Welsh Assembly Member for Alyn and Deeside. As the BBC reports, he will be following in the footsteps of his father, Carl Sargeant who died in November, having apparently taken his own life, causing the by-election.

Treasury planning loan to bail out Ministry of Defence
According to an exclusive in The Sun, the Treasury is offering to meet the Ministry of Defence’s funding shortfall through a loan until the next spending review in 2020. This would have to be repaid by cutting troops or selling off assets. The paper expects this to ‘spark another major Cabinet row’ between Philip Hammond and Gavin Williamson.

Carillion chief executive admits board should have asked more questions
The Financial Times reports that Keith Cochrane, Chief Executive of Carillion when it collapsed, admitted to MPs in an evidence session yesterday that the board should have asked ‘more probing questions’. Former Finance Director Emma Mercer suggested that her predecessor Zafar Khan and former Chief Executive Richard Howson had been ‘aggressive’ with how contracts were accounted for, a claim Khan denied.

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Naomi Lewis

Blogger Spotlight: Naomi Lewis, The Naomi Narrative

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Naomi Lewis writes The Naomi Narrative, which was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Relationship and Dating Blogs. Naomi started her blog after an unbelievably crappy date, and now shares experiences of dates as well advice around sex and relationships. We spoke to Naomi about the best date she’s ever been on, making a good impression and working with brands on campaigns.

What makes your blog successful?
I’m not sure I could pinpoint one certain thing but definitely shameless self-promotion to get my work out there has had an effect. Also, I would’ve though the honesty behind my writing. I don’t just fluff things up for the sake of it, I get right into the nitty gritty and I think people really appreciate the tough love approach.

What’s the best date you’ve ever been on?
It’s nothing grand, I went for a meal and a dance. Sounds pretty plain, right? It was, but great dates are all about the company you keep. We weren’t even meant to be seeing each other this night and I got a text saying, ‘I’ve booked your favourite place at 6 for dinner, I’ll meet you there’. Great start – love the romantic spontaneity, and it just got better. We kept having to send the waitress away because we were gabbing that much we hadn’t had time to even consider what to order, we had a great meal and then went on to have a drink, a dance and a laugh for the rest of the night.

What made this such a great date when it sounds so normal? It was thoughtful, and it was so easy. Just a simple meal and a drink was one of the best dates ever – no grandeur, no forward planning, no massive expense – just good company and great chemistry.

What top tips would you give to people to make a great impression on a first date?
Always answers questions with questions to keep the conversation flowing, there is nothing worse than an awkward silence but if you make an effort to keep things ticking over, then you’ll never have to worry about that! Also, remember the old saying ‘you never get a second chance at a first impression’ because it’s totally true – don’t be afraid to get dolled up to the nines or suited and booted, and keep smiling – it’s infectious.

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
I mean, sure, it’s a good excuse to spoil your partner but IMO, it’s become a bit of a Hallmark season now. I think and people can go a little overboard which is, of course, fine as everyone’s different. In my opinion, the little things throughout the year adding together mean more than a grand gesture on Valentine’s Day would – but like I said, that’s just me.

How much is your content about you and your experiences, and how much is it about others?
It’s a real mixture of both. I’ve written a lot about my own dates, the single life and my emotions and now that I’m in a long-term relationship, I write about the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship – the good, the bad and the ugly! I also find it useful to write up things I’ve learned that are happening in the dating scene too. For instance, new apps and their pros/cons, new dating trends that are surfacing, and a bit of the psychology behind dating and relationships too. It’s all SO interesting and the great thing about it is that EVERY SINGLE PERSON can relate to it all.

What’s your favourite thing to write about?
I’m a bit six-of-one-half-a-dozen-of-the-other when it comes to my favourite writing style. I do like to get deep with some posts and really explore why we do what we do and what happens when, etc, and go into a bunch of detail, of course with a positive spin on it all. Like this one.

However, I have just as much fun writing blogs that are a little more risqué but putting in a little humour too to take the ‘awky’ edge off. Like this one.

How do you like to work with PRs and brands?
I guess it all depends on the brand/campaign. I really like to put my own spin on things and the brand/campaign has to be inexplicably linked to dating/relationships because my content always has to stay true to my own brand. The brands I’ve worked with so far have been great because there’s always been give and take and being able to communicate exactly what you want to achieve from either end ensures that everyone gets what they want out of the campaign – which is the dream right?
Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database
Are there any stand out campaigns that you have been involved with?
I’ve worked with all sorts of brands, from lingerie and sex toys, to greetings cards, health and wellbeing, and apps. There has been a whole plethora of different campaigns I’ve been lucky to be a part of but I would say the biggest things to come out of my blog are my columns.

Due to the success of my blog, I’ve landed myself a column in #DATING – the only dating magazine on the market and I have a weekly column talking all things dating, sex and relationships in real life magazine Loveit!

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator)?
I’d definitely call myself a blogger because I’m all about the writing. Of course, I appreciate other blogs with beautiful photos but for me, blogging’s all about the words.

What other blogs do you read?
I must admit, I love reading other dating and relationships blogs, it’s always good to see difference in perspective and opinion on subjects you’re interested in! For instance, All Sweetness and Life, Never Settle (Eve Greenow), etc.

 

Naomi is listed with her blog on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Eve Greenow interview

Blogger Spotlight: Eve Greenow, Never Settle

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Eve Greenow writes Never Settle, the Top 10 Dating Relationship Blog. Started in 2015 after she got out of a toxic relationship, Eve uses her blog to encourage people to be happy – after all, you only live one life. We spoke to Eve about making a great first impression on a date, Valentine’s Day and working with brands.

What makes your blog successful?
As with most bloggers, so much time and commitment goes into keeping up my blog, ensuring quality and relevant content. Never Settle pushes the latest trends to the forefront of discussion, tackling controversial and taboo subjects head on in a completely non-judgemental manner. With my content, I look to provide a range of outcomes and a way of achieving them, based on a mixture of personal experience and extensive psychological and sociological research.

My blog wasn’t created to complain, gloat or judge anyone, it’s there as a tool for anyone who wants to make themselves happier, better informed and ultimately more confident in their love lives. I hope that my posts are relatable, useful and encourage personal empowerment – that’s why it’s successful, because it genuinely helps people who have gone through similar situations.

Eve GreenowWhat’s the best date you’ve ever been on?
The best date must have been geocaching around Aberystwyth when I was at University. It was different, and related to our conversations we’d had previously. It’s basically treasure hunting using coordinates – sounds super nerdy but it’s so fun searching for ‘hidden treasure’. It meant we could just chat while walking along in the sun; doing something fun during the day. No awkward meals (I always end up becoming a messy nervous eater!) – just getting to know each other.

What top tips would you give to people to make a great impression on a first date?
Remember it’s just two people meeting, avoid putting too much pressure on yourself or the situation. Listen attentively, avoid asking too many interrogatory questions (it’s not an interview!), smile, be yourself and enjoy it!

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?
I am a true romantic, and I religiously write Valentine’s Day content every year, both for the single and the coupled-up. Personally, I think we should celebrate our relationships every day, regardless of whether they are romantic or not. Friendships should be celebrated for their love too. But I’m definitely not one for a cuddly toy bear holding a heart!

How much is your content about you and your experiences, and how much is it about others?
I write a lot about experiences or topics I’m personally passionate about, or if I see a relationship on TV or a friend has a problem, usually it sparks me to write a post. I usually base my content on psychological and sociological research, with a smidgen of personal experience. Some posts in my lifestyle section are directly about me, and usually if they are I refer to myself in the first person. Many people think ALL of my posts are about me, but they’re actually not. I have friends and family who ring me up after I post about cheating or breakups, when actually it’s nothing to do with me!

I enjoy answering people in my new agony aunt section ‘Ask Eve’, where anyone can anonymously send in their relationship, dating or lifestyle questions.

What’s your favourite topic to write about?
As sad as it sounds, I love writing about love. So, if any new psychological research is published to do with relationships, I enjoy exploring how it relates to other research, or my previous posts. Having people write in for ‘Ask Eve‘, is really exciting, I love writing answers to the, it makes me really feel like I’m helping people more directly.

I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite thing to write about, but I also really appreciate my personal posts on mental health and lifestyle, I find it a really cathartic process, especially if it helps other people. Finally, writing break-up posts is super interesting to me, I want to bring as much comfort and help to those looking for it, so I try and craft my break-up posts to be as inspiring and motivating as possible – while ensuring that we allow ourselves to grieve properly rather than cover up our emotions.

How do you like to work with PRs and brands?
I like to ensure when I work with PR agencies and brands, that it’s mutually beneficial. I don’t generally accept work with brands that aren’t relevant to my content (as it messes with the consistency of the site), but it’s about ensuring that we work as a partnership, and both of us are happy with the content. Whether it be working on a giveaway or sponsored post, or reviews, I always love working together with brands and PR agencies to push conversions, ROI and give my readers something new and fresh to discover.
Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database
Are there any stand out campaigns that you have been involved with?
I really enjoyed working with LELO, the luxury Swedish pleasure brand, on their release of the SONA Cruise. Instead of simply reviewing or pushing people to buy, I explored the taboo subject of female masturbation – how female pleasure is really important, and the inner workings of the female anatomy.

I naturally introduced the product into the post, as the perfect product to explore and use to achieve mind-blowing orgasms. It had great engagement and a high CTR: women are intrigued but afraid to admit it out loud, so introducing a new product this way worked really well. I am an ongoing LELO affiliate, and love working with their products in general, whether it be in a gift guide or bringing my readers new, exciting products I know they’ll love.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator)?
I call myself a blogger, as I consider myself as a writer overall. Although I love creating content for my social feeds and blog, the written content is what drives me and Never Settle.

What other blogs do you read?
I love reading other blogs, it’s one of my favourite past times, and I really enjoy discovering new ones too! Some of my favourites are Hannah (The Giraffe’s Life), Scarlett London, Naomi Narrative and Giulia Smith.

Eve Greenow and Never Settle are both listed with her blog on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

TBF graduates

Charity launches BAME programme for comms in Scotland

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The Taylor Bennett Foundation (TBF), is setting up its first graduate training programme in Scotland. The charity, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, works with agencies and in-house teams to provide intensive training for BAME graduates.

This is the first time the charity has run a training programme outside of London, a significant milestone for the Foundation, which aims to tackle the lack of ethnic diversity throughout the communications industry.

TBF CEO Sarah Stimson said: ‘In what is our tenth anniversary year, it is exciting to extend our reach and offer our first programme in Scotland.’

Sponsored by Standard Life Aberdeen and comms consultancy Charlotte Street Partners, the Scottish programme will provide four graduates training over five weeks. It is being run in partnership with Edinburgh Business School, Heriot Watt University and will be based at the Edinburgh campus.

Executive dean professor Heather McGregor, who founded TBF, said: ‘Developing talent is at the centre of what we do at Edinburgh Business School and it is a natural fit for us to give the TBF programme a home in Edinburgh.’

The programme is also supported by the PRCA in Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Scotland.

Applications are now open and are calling for BAME graduates from any discipline. The training will cover all aspects of communications and employability coaching, as well as training from the course sponsors. Field trips to PR departments in agencies and corporate in-house teams form a key part of the experience.

Andrew Wilson, one of the founding partners of Charlotte Street Partners, said: ‘TBF is doing important work promoting diversity in our industry and we are pleased to support them in their work. It is a substantial undertaking for a small firm like ours but we know it will pay back.

‘Our entire team looks forward to welcoming the first wave of graduates, offering them invaluable mentoring and sharing our expertise throughout the programme.’

Trainees receive the UK Real Living Wage throughout the course in order to make the programme as accessible as possible.

If you’re interested in applying for the programme, you can download an application form here. The deadline for applications is 17:00 on Thursday 17 May.

Hayley Hall London ebauty queen

London Beauty Queen rebrands to become Hayley Hall UK

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Hayley Hall has rebranded her award-winning beauty blog – London Beauty Queen, which has been a key part of the beauty blogging industry since its launch 2010. Now called Hayley Hall UK, the blog covers more than beauty with fashion, lifestyle and thought-pieces also featuring prominently.

We caught up with Hayley to find out about the rebrand and what it means for the blog.

hayleyhall.ukWhy have you rebranded?
It’s something I’d been thinking a lot about in the last year or so, having been using the LBQ alias for nearly a decade. Although the name had become rather iconic, I felt I was becoming more and more distanced from it – especially as I started as a 27-year-old single Londoner and am now a 35-year-old married woman living in the Shires! I felt like it no longer reflected who I was or what I wanted to write about, so I spent a year transitioning away from only beauty and introducing more topics – including fashion, lifestyle, travel, wedding and home.

Back in 2010 we all picked random names that stuck in heads but didn’t exactly have longevity, so it was an inevitability to drop LBQ at some point; when I married last year, it seemed like a natural progression to adopt my new name as my online identity too.

What can we expect from Hayley Hall?
More of the same – I’ve spent 12 months transitioning and measuring the popularity of different types of content, so the name change is more of a branding issue than anything else.

What’s the rebranding process like in terms of website management?
Easier than you may expect, but you do have to prepare and be organised! The hardest thing was finding social handles that I could use, so I spent a long time setting up test accounts and claiming different names so they would be as consistent as possible. The URL switch was relatively easy and londonbeautyqueen.com will continue to redirect to hayleyhall.uk, but it’s all the niggly bits that take the time; it was a full day of admin and updating to get it all in order.

Are you measuring the brand change in any way/are you hoping for any particular outcomes?
One of the main reasons for the name change was the fact many brands and PRs couldn’t see past my URL; they made the assumption that I was only interested in beauty or was much younger than I am. I’m hoping rebranding helps me to build connections outside of the beauty world and continue to connect with brands I’m passionate about.

How does this affect how you’re working with brands/PRs?
Only positively – I’m open to covering different topics and collaborating with different sectors.

Do you think this marks a wider trend in bloggers moving from single topics to broader lifestyle subjects?
Yes absolutely. Many of us started with a singular interest, but after doing the same thing for such a long time, it’s vital to diversify to maintain your passion. I became a bit lethargic with beauty launches, having seen the same thing five times already, so I needed to introduce new areas to keep my creativity flowing. Readers are also increasingly interested in the person behind the blog, rather than just what they’re reviewing; I get some of my best engagement on fashion posts and thought pieces, although beauty will always remain a huge focus for me.

Do you consider yourself a lifestyle brand?
Not really. I’m a writer and creative, even though what I’ve created is a brand in the simplest terms.

What do you call yourself (blogger, content creator, influencer)?
All of the above, depending upon who I’m talking to! I work with a lot of brands on a consultancy basis (utilising my decades worth of experience in digital marketing, social media and branding) so I’m not just one thing – even day to day I totally change!

 

Hayley Hall and her blog, Hayley Hall, are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database.  

Issue spotlight

Making sense of the Carillion Collapse

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The Carillion Collapse sent shockwaves throughout the nation’s infrastructure and establishment. The liquidation of a company with such a diverse portfolio of responsibilities, contracts and employees, was always going to lead to a major national crisis.

Now the dust is beginning to settle (though there’s clearly still some way to go), and Carillion’s stakeholders are fighting to be heard. From the Government, which is both regulator and customer, to the unions representing frontline workers – Carillion’s roots run deep.

Vuelio specialises in managing stakeholder relations, whether that’s building relationships with key influencers or tracking incoming phone calls from members of the public. Using our stakeholder tools and the in-house intelligence of our Political Services Team, we’ve been tackling the Carillion fallout since it collapsed.

We’ve read the reports, monitored the mentions and unravelled the endless relationship ties to create one clear picture of Carillion’s Stakeholders. Our white paper ‘Collapse of Carillion’ brings everything together and answers the big questions:

  • How has the Opposition been capitalising on the firm’s demise?
  • What are the conflicts surrounding financial services companies?
  • How have Carillion’s competitors reacted?
  • In what way is the media covering this?
  • What’s being done to stop this happening again?

The white paper also includes an exclusive diagram of Carillion’s stakeholders and research into the political social media reaction – so you can see which politicians and Lords have been saying what.

No matter if you’re directly or indirectly affected by Carillion, download our whitepaper and see how the biggest story of 2018 has unfolded.

Hannah Louise Farrington

Blogger Spotlight: Hannah Louise Farrington, Hannah Louise Fashion

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Hannah Louise Farrington is the Top 20 Fashion Blogger who writes Hannah Louise Fashion. Covering fashion and lifestyle, the blog focuses on Hannah’s personal style and outfit posts. We caught up with Hannah to chat success, fashion week and working with fashion brands.

What makes your blog successful?
I think that my blog has been successful because I have maintained integrity and stayed true to my interests and my personality when taking on collaborations and working with brands.

How do you use other platforms, and how does that tie back in with your blog?
I use Instagram to share images from my blog and also snapshots from my day to day life and I use Twitter for the same thing, as well as sharing thoughts and opinions, and general chat. Both provide a more well-rounded and ‘real time’ insight into my life, filling in gaps left by my blog.

How do you work with fashion weeks?
I attend shows and presentations and share them on my socials, and use what I learn to inform outfit choices and the things I write about my own outfits on my blog. I also use fashion week as an opportunity to dress as the best version of myself, or to try out new or more daring looks.

How can brands/PRs best work with you around fashion week?
The best way for fashion brands to work with me is by dressing me; fashion week always brings more attention and traffic to outfit posts.

What do you call yourself (blogger/creator/Influencer)?
Blogger.

Hannah Louise is listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Today’s Political Headlines – 6 February 2018

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Today’s Political Headlines include Barnier telling the UK to make a choice, Trump’s NHS error, Theresa May marking the centenary of the suffrage act and the EU rules the UK could be forced to accept. 

Barnier tells the UK to ‘make a choice’
Visiting the UK yesterday, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned that future trade barriers are ‘unavoidable’ if the UK leaves the customs union. The Financial Times reports that EU officials believe that UK ideas are ‘unrealistic’, whilst Barnier said that it was time for the UK ‘to make a choice’ and that there was ‘not a moment to lose’. The paper also says that the EU is pressing for more clarity over the Irish border as it comes within weeks of publishing a legal text of December’s Brexit divorce agreement.

Trump rebuked over NHS claims
Following a tweet from President Trump, claiming that the NHS was ‘going broke and not working’, the BBC reports Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt hit back that he was ‘proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage’. Downing Street said that Hunt was speaking for the government, while NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens has invited Trump to visit a hospital on his trip to the UK later this year.

May marks suffrage act with vow to tackle abuse in public life
The Guardian says Theresa May is to mark the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act today by giving a speech in Manchester. May will address the topic of abuse in public life, and lay out steps to tackle it, including backing some recommendations from a Committee on Standards in Public Life report, publishing a social media code of practice and asking the Law Commission to review legislation on ‘offensive online communications’. The BBC reports that campaigners, including the Fawcett Society and Ruth Davidson, have called for convicted suffragettes to be given a posthumous pardon.

UK could be forced to accept 37 EU rules during transition
The Daily Telegraph has obtained a leaked Whitehall analysis that reveals that the UK could be forced to accept 37 EU directives during the transition period. It suggests that contentious measures include new recycling targets, giving Brussels the power to ‘mount a massive raid on the City of London’ and new renewable and energy efficiency targets.

Soubry tells May to expel hard Brexiteers
Anna Soubry told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that Theresa May needed to ‘get a spine’ and remove 35 ‘hard ideological Brexiteers’ from the Conservative Party, warning that by pandering to them she was forgetting a larger group ‘who are getting sick and tired’. She said that if Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg took over the party she would leave.

May’s mission statement criticised by ministers
An internal mission statement drawn up by Theresa May’s aides called ‘Building a Britain Fit for the Future’ has been criticised by ministers as ‘pathetic’ and ‘anaemic’, The Times says. The plan, first shown to the cabinet and ministers, was shared with MPs last week.

East Coast rail franchise may return to public sector
The Guardian reports that the East Coast rail franchise could return to the public sector, with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling telling MPs that Virgin Trains had breached its £3.3bn contract. Another option would be for the Government to offer Virgin Trains East Coast a ‘short-term, not for profit’ contract.

Rural MPs threaten to revolt over council funding cuts
According to the Financial Times, the Government is coming under pressure to increase funding to councils, following the imposition of spending controls on Northamptonshire County Council. The paper reports that ministers ‘have been locked in talks with MPs’ to secure the votes they need to pass the local authority funding settlement on Wednesday.

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Politics on Sunday – 4 February 2018

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The Sunday political shows gave us guests from local, regional and national government alongside a former head of the civil service and the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Andrew Marr’s headline guests were Amber Rudd and Gerry Adams. Rudd was asked about Brexit and Brexiteers in the Conservative party; she said they should be aware of the unity in the Cabinet committee on Brexit. Rudd rebuked Jacob Rees-Mogg for his suspicions of how civil servants in the Treasury are reporting their figures. The Home Secretary was confident about the prospects for Britain after Brexit saying the country will ‘absolutely grow’ once the UK has left the EU.

Asked a question about possibly becoming chancellor under Boris Johnson, if he were to become PM, she responded by saying the question was ‘too difficult to answer on a number of levels’ and so passed on answering.

Gerry Adams made what will be his last appearance on Marr in his position as President of Sinn Féin. He expressed a view that the current lack of government in Northern Ireland ‘could be solved by tomorrow’. Adams also gave a warning to Theresa May that her deal with the DUP will ‘end in tears’ once things hit a rocky patch.

He was also asked why he never joined the IRA; his answer was that he was very active in Sinn Féin and despite never joining, he never distanced himself from them. Adams did say that he wished nobody had been harmed in the conflict. He also made clear his view that Brexit will be a disaster for the people of Ireland as the UK Government is unclear on what they want to do. ‘Outstanding’ was the word the Sinn Féin leader chose to use when describing Jeremy Corbyn and said he would like to see him as the next PM.

Vince Cable and Claire Kober were the other guests of note on Marr’s show. The former began positively, highlighting the Lib Dems’ unity on the issue of Brexit. Cable also showed how things can change in a year by pointing out he was not even an elected politician this time last year. Sir Vince believes the Government is making a mess of negotiations with the EU, and he is continuing to press Labour to back the position of a vote on the final deal.

Former leader of Haringey Council, Claire Kober, has had a tumultuous week and she cited the abuse she received in her position and put it down to her being a woman. Kober said that she had not raised any complaints with the Labour NEC due to her lack of faith in it.

A number of pro-Brexit MPs have been voicing concerns that the civil service may not be acting in a completely neutral manner when approaching Brexit, so a former head of the civil service went on Peston on Sunday to say, ‘If you’re selling snake oil, you don’t like the idea of experts testing your product’. Lord O’Donnell did not have any time for the accusations against civil servants, saying they appear to be measures to ‘shoot the messenger’. His wider point was that people like to promote the impartiality of the Civil Service when it is convenient for them.

Shadow Attorney General, Baroness Chakrabarti, used part of her interview with Peston to respond to Claire Kober’s remarks on The Andrew Marr show. Chakrabarti said Labour must do more to get sexism and antisemitism out of the Party but said any complaint made to Labour’s NEC will be investigated. Chakrabarti also called for BBC Director General, Tony Hall, to do more on the issue of equal pay.

Housing Minister, Dominic Raab also appeared on Peston and confidently claimed that the PM would not support the UK remaining in a customs union – contradicting remarks made by Rudd. Raab did support Rudd’s remarks relating to unity in the party. Stella Creasy was another guest on Peston who spoke on the Claire Kober situation calling for Labour to act and sharing the difficulty she has experienced when it comes to making complaints.

Check out the dedicated Canvas of political coverage by clicking here or on the image below.

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Peston Marr

Bloggers and vloggers

5 top tips from the Influencers

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Vuelio recently hosted a Meet the Influencers session at the CIPR’s Influence Live event. Jo Middleton, Slummy Single Mummy, and Jane Cunningham, British Beauty Blogger, sat with PR and comms experts to discuss building relationships and outreach best practice.

At Vuelio, we spend a lot of time talking to bloggers, vloggers and Instagram stars, and we hear the same suggestions, grievances and tips over and over. Jo and Jane also covered these points, so we thought it was high time for a refresher.

The top five tips from influencers:

1. Professional bloggers are running a business
Jane, a journalist by trade, pointed out that journalists and bloggers are not the same. Journalists are generally salaried, being paid by an outlet or publisher no matter how much time they spend writing about any given topic. As such, PRs have rarely, if ever, had to pay journalists directly for coverage – and often a free trip can seem like their ‘treat’ (even though it’s their job to cover such things).

For professional bloggers, if they don’t get paid, they don’t pay bills. Some bloggers still accept freebies in return for coverage, but they’re often hobbyists who don’t depend on their blogging income to live. It may feel like a culture shift, but the outcomes can be different too – which leads nicely on to…

2. You can expect to get more from bloggers
If you don’t pay journalists, you generally can’t demand too much of their time for reports or metrics on the success of your content. Bloggers, on the other hand, should be seen as collaborators – they’re working with you on your project or campaign and you can agree metrics and results up front. Jo loves being part of the campaign, and advocated Iceland’s style of requesting analytics and making her work hard, as she prefers knowing how her part in the campaign is contributing and being used by the brand, rather than being just one post in a huge machine. Which is point three:

3. Collaborations should be more than one post
Again, this isn’t traditional media outreach. While journalists could be called ‘influencers’, their role is fundamentally different and the word ‘influencer’ (though disliked by many bloggers) has only risen to prominence with the digital age. So, if you’re looking for publication of a press release, go traditional, but if you’re looking to positively influence an audience (niche or otherwise) and want to see positive results over a sustained period of time – use influencers.

4. Build relationships
This IS the same across traditional and new media outreach. And for some reason, it comes up again and again and again. Don’t start emails ‘Hi dear’, or ‘Hi NAME OF BLOG’ – Jo isn’t called Slummy Single Mummy and Jane isn’t British Beauty Blogger. If you’re struggling to find the right names and merge your emails professionally, you’re obviously not using Vuelio. We list detailed profiles, with names, PR preferences and bios so you can get to know the influencers before you send that first email. And when you’re ready to contact influencers, spend time building relationships – as with traditional outreach, good relationships lead to better results all round.

5. It’s not all about social
This varies brand to brand, company to company, but social isn’t the be all and end all. You may be working on behalf of a client who wants to be ‘big’ on Instagram. That’s fine. You may be working in-house and think a few well-placed tweets are where it’s at – also fine. Only you know what works for you, but remember that social posts are fleeting, audiences are fickle and ‘longevity’ is a word that no one uses in a hashtag.

Yes, you may want social-only collaborations with influencers (and Jo described a dramatic increase in brands who just want Instagram posts), but if you want true influence, and you want your product/service/brand/concept to reach a loyal audience of engaged readers, then remember the blog. Bloggers spend a long time cultivating their blogs, which are their publications, and it would be foolish to overlook them.

Struggling with Influencer Outreach? Don’t know where to begin with bloggers? Check out the Vuelio Influencer Database – it’s been built for you. 

Halima Khatun

Blogger Spotlight: Halima Khatun, HalimaBobs

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Halima Khatun is author of HalimaBobs, the beauty and lifestyle blog, which is all about positivity, not perfection. A former broadcast journalist, Halima is now the owner of PR agency HK Communications. We spoke to Halima about blogging as a PR pro, being real, working in partnership with PRs and blogging since the birth of her child.

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog for three reasons: firstly, to satisfy my creative juices and write some light-hearted, frivolous content that was far removed from my day job of a PR consultant. Secondly, I didn’t see a blog out there that offered unfiltered, detailed, beauty-based content; a lot of blogs are quite aspirational and advertorial. Finally, I wanted to read something that was aimed at the everyday beauty novice that doesn’t have hours to create the perfect no-makeup-makeup look!

What makes your blog successful?
I write as I speak, so my content is often a dry, witty stream of consciousness! I believe that in a world of filter, real un-airbrushed content is a refreshing novelty!

Is there a difference in how PRs approach you as a blogger compared to how you were approached as a broadcast journalist?
Most PRs are fantastic. But there has been the odd PR who would treat me differently than they would a journalist. Occasionally, I have been on the receiving end of a PR fail, from the failure to follow through on a collaboration, to trying to overtly control editorial content. But thankfully, the bad PRs experiences are greatly outweighed by the good, with most practitioners really valuing the brand recognition bloggers can bring.

As a blogger, how do you like to work with PRs?
I see my work with PRs as more of a partnership, as bloggers and PRs can’t function without one another. So, whether it’s collaborating on a giveaway, a product/service review or a sponsored post, I always work closely with the PR I’m dealing with to ensure we’re both happy. I also aim to offer a critique of most of the products I’m sent for review, not just the good stuff. Lastly, I’ll always keep the PR in question in the loop with the progress of my articles and send a link once live, rather than expect them to look out for their client mention themselves.

Have you noticed a change in what you write about since having a baby?
Absolutely! As my blog is a small window into my life, inevitably I include articles about my biggest life event! So, as well as blogging about baby and mum-to-be products, I’ve written more in-depth articles about life as a working mum, dealing with mother’s guilt etc. These topics have really struck a chord and have also featured on the Huffington Post, where I also blog.

How did you get from your first PR role to your current position?
With some smart choices and a sprinkle of luck! My career grew very organically as I started as a broadcast journalist with ITV and the BBC, and then joined the dark side – PR(!). From there, I made the transition from agency to in-house. I’ve worked with some of the UK’s largest corporates, and after a decade in the industry, I decided to set up my own consultancy, HK Communications. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and in 2015, I felt I had the right amount of experience to make it happen.

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

Having worked as a journalist, do you believe you have a different take on PR and communications to other agencies?
Definitely. I believe in the old school PR of finding a great story and telling it. So, having a nose for a story really helps. Plus being a former journalist adds real credibility and a reassurance for clients. After all, it’s easier to write and pitch a story knowing what would interest the journalist, given that I used to be one. Also, I offer PR training as well as consulting, so a big part of this is helping small business owners think like a journalist. Again, having been one myself helps, as I’ve walked the walk.

As a PR professional, do you work with bloggers? If so, are there differences in how you work with bloggers compared with traditional media journalists?
As my consultancy offers more B2B PR, I haven’t had much scope to work with bloggers, but I would certainly be open to it if the opportunity arose!

What changes are you looking to make to your PR strategy in 2018?
Well I’m expanding my team, having brought on associates in the run up to my maternity leave. I’m also focusing more on my PR training arm which is ideal for micro-businesses that don’t have the budget for a PR agency. 2018 is looking to be very exciting indeed!

Do you have a career mantra or a piece of advice that you follow?
Not a mantra per se, but I always advise networking and nurturing contacts. I’m always of the view that every connection you make can add value in some way. You might generate a business lead, learn something new or simply meet a great person. In fact, this interview came about after networking at the Vuelio Blog Awards!

Halima Khatun and HalimaBobs are both listings on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Today’s Political Headlines – 5 February 2018

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Today’s Political Headlines include Downing Street ruling out being part of a customs union, Westminster’s Freemasons’ lodges, the UK’s potentially painful trade concessions to South Korea and the warning against a bonfire of regulations. 

Downing Street rules out customs union
Downing Street has confirmed that the UK is to leave the customs union after Brexit, the BBC reports, quoting a source who said, ‘to put this to rest, we are categorically leaving’. Political correspondent Eleanor Garnier says that a bespoke deal could still involve some sort of customs arrangement. The Times adds that the Brexit ‘war cabinet’ is preparing a compromise with ‘a time-limited extension to elements of the existing customs union’.

Westminster Freemasons’ lodges revealed
The Guardian leads with the revelation that there are two lodges of Freemasons operating secretly at Westminster, one for politicians and one for journalists. The paper reports that the identities of the members are unknown, while the United Grand Lodge of England has insisted that there is no contradiction between being a Freemason and a journalist.

‘Painful concessions’ needed to agree South Korean deal
According to The Daily Telegraph, the UK may have to make ‘painful trade concessions’ to South Korea, in order to ensure continuity during the Brexit transition period. A ‘senior trade lobbyist’ told the paper that ‘worries are mounting’ about whether it will be possible to replicate existing trade deals.

Bank of England deputy governor warns against ‘bonfire of regulations’
In an interview with the Financial Times, Sam Woods, deputy governor of the Bank of England, warned against a ‘bonfire of regulations’ after Brexit. He pledged to ‘maintain standards of resilience in the financial sector at least as high as those we have today’.

Former civil service chief says Brexiteers are ‘selling snake oil’
Appearing on Peston on Sunday, Lord O’Donnell, the former head of the civil service, accused Brexiteers of ‘selling snake oil’, The Daily Telegraph says. He said that allegations by Jacob Rees-Mogg that the civil service were ‘fiddling the figures’ with regard to Brexit were ‘completely crazy’.

Hospitals cancel urgent operations
In an exclusive, The Guardian claims that hospitals have cancelled urgent operations for patients with cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening diseases, despite having been ordered not to do so. According to the paper, doctors’ leaders and the Patients Association have warned that people could die as a result.

Justice Secretary to review divorce laws
The Justice Secretary, David Gauke, has agreed to review divorce laws, The Times says. This follows a campaign by the newspaper for reforms, including no-fault divorce. He told the paper that he ‘will study the evidence for change’ but would not ‘rush to a conclusion’.

Lib Dems’ expert panel recommends dedicated NHS tax
A panel of health experts, convened by the Liberal Democrats, has recommended a new ring-fenced tax to fund the NHS, the BBC reports. The panel also recommends that the NHS should receive an extra £4bn on top of inflation in the next financial year and a cap on the amount paid for social care by individuals.

Do you want Vuelio Political services? Find out more about our bespoke services here. 

Security unit

Official unit to tackle fake news

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Not the new security unit, because you can’t shoot fake news

Fake news and disinformation is to be tackled by a new security unit, an attempt to curb the nefarious influences of other states.

Theresa May’s spokesman told reporters: ‘We are living in an era of fake news and competing narratives. The government will respond with more and better use of national security communications to tackle these interconnected complex challenges.

‘We will build on existing capabilities by creating a dedicated national security communications unit. This will be tasked with combating disinformation by state actors and others. It will more systematically deter our adversaries and help us deliver on national security priorities.’

Theresa May has previously accused Russia of meddling in elections and undermining western institutions. The US is particularly vocal about the interference, or lack thereof, of Russia in its democracy, with a major investigation ongoing. Russia, for its part, denies any wrongdoing.

The power and purpose of ‘fake news’ is still being investigated by the government, with the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee next meeting on 8 February. They will question representatives from Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, CBS News, CNN international, New York Times and a host of educational institutes.

Though the Committee is aiming to answer a number of questions (including ‘Where does biased but legitimate commentary shade into propaganda and lies?’), none are around Russian meddling or fake news’ effect on democracy.

The Committee is separate from Facebook’s investigation into Russian paid-for activity on the platform, which was demanded by British lawmakers after Facebook’s original report was deemed unsatisfactory.

As the new unit was part of a wider defence review announcement, there were no further details beyond its creation, including no information on where it would be based, how it would be staffed or how it would operate.

2 February 18

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 2 February 2018

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Happy Groundhog Day! This week’s five things includes BBC pay, Matt Hancockers, Facebook’s users, grid girls and a video of the ‘most British resignation ever’.

Happy Groundhog Day! This week’s five things includes BBC pay, Matt Hancockers, Facebook’s users, grid girls and a video of the ‘most British resignation ever’.

1. BBC Pay

Select Committee

Gender inequality in BBC pay remains under the spotlight, dominating the media world. After Carrie Gracie publicly resigned from her China editor role at the beginning of January, and a number of male presenters agreed to pay cuts, the BBC gender pay story continues into its third week under a number of headlines.

The official review by PwC found there was no gender bias at the BBC regarding pay decisions, though the report said the BBC’s approach to setting pay in general ‘has been far from perfect’. PwC also found a 6.8% gender pay gap among on-air staff. The BBC responded saying there would be substantial pay cuts for some men and pay rises for some men and women. Unfortunately this has only made matters worse as more men (98) will receive these pay rises than women (90).

On Wednesday, Carrie Gracie hit the news again when questioned by MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport select committee. In a two-hour session, Gracie accused the BBC of effectively lying as she was told she would be paid the same as her male colleagues. Gracie specifically called out DG Tony Hall for resisting the publication of on-air presenters’ pay; James Harding, former director of news, who previously said the BBC didn’t have an equal pay problem; and Fran Unsworth, the new director of news, who apparently told another BBC journalist that Gracie worked part time – which wasn’t true.

With issues unresolved, this probably isn’t the last time BBC pay will feature in five things.

 

2. Are you on Matt Hancock?

Matt Hancock

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Matt Hancock, has launched his own app this week – called Matt Hancock. The social media-type platform allows people to get updates from Matt Hancock as well as make friends with other users and post messages (a bit like Twitter). The app’s launch gave a lot of journalists something to do yesterday morning, as they all took joy in Matt Hancocking for a few hours, seemingly dominating the system and potentially drowning out Matt Hancock’s constituents who want to use Matt Hancock to Matt Hancock at Matt Hancock (turns out that gets old real fast).

Vuelio Political Updates are also on Matt Hancock if you want to be friends, but, unfortunately, we don’t have ‘full functionality’ because we’re not verified – as that needs you to submit your name and address to prove you live in Matt Hancock’s constituency of West Suffolk. Either way, we’re currently working out our Matt Hancock strategy, as should you be.

While the general consensus is that people on Matt Hancock are generally nicer than people on Twitter, and the whole atmosphere is currently quite pleasant, it’s not been plain sailing for the new app. The ICO is currently investigating Matt Hancock after concerns were raised about its privacy settings and its ability to access photographs after being told it couldn’t (possibly a Matt Hancock-up).

 

3. Facebook users spending less time online

Facebook

Though Mark Zuckerberg suggested that his upcoming string of News Feed tweaks would decrease time spent on the platform, it turns out users were ahead of the game and had spent 5% less time on the platform in the last three months of 2017 anyway. That equates to around 50 million hours a day. Despite the decline, Facebook’s financial results were better than expected – increasing 47% last year to $40bn (£28.2bn), and profits rose 56% to nearly $16bn.

Facebook’s audience also increased, its monthly active users up 14% to 2.13bn in the three months to December.

These stats are not as bad as they could have been. Zuckerberg is trying to fix the platform, and specifically the News Feed, to ensure the long-term survival of the company, which in the coming months may cause reductions in dwell time, third-party content and user growth (not least because we’re all on Matt Hancock now).

 

4. Grid Girls

Formula 1 monza

Formula 1 has announced that ‘grid girls’ will no longer be used by Formula 1, following a similar recent announcement from the Professional Darts Corporation. Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations, said: ‘While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 grands prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms’.

The announcement has been met with mixed reviews, some have questioned the decision – including The Sun, current and former grid girls and Stacey Solomon. Bernie Ecclestone unsurprisingly disagrees with the change, claiming the girls were dressed ‘smartly’, and completely missing the point by saying ‘we might as well say we don’t want people to go to a fashion show’.  Niki Lauda bizarrely suggested the decision was ‘against women’.

As Susie Wolff points out, this decision is a step in the right direction. The issue was never whether the grid girls felt offended – no one was forcing them to do it – but with the representation of women in the sport. Dominated by men, F1’s only regular representation of women has been grid girls. Now women aren’t represented at all, which is a new issue owners Liberty Media will have to tackle.

 

5. Lord Bates and the most amazing resignation ever

Lord Bates, the international development minister, offered his resignation this week after arriving late to the Lords for questions. Though it was rejected, his resignation was an incredibly watchable moment and ‘perhaps the most British political resignation speech ever made’:

 

Happy Groundhog Day!

Today’s Political Headlines – 2 February 2018

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Today’s Political Headlines include the UK’s potential to stay in a customs union with the EU, Brexit migration figures, NHS spending on compensation and medicines under review and ‘Auntie May’. 

UK might stay in customs union with the EU
The Financial Times claims that Theresa May’s advisers are considering striking a customs union deal on trade in goods with the EU, which would allow the UK to strike trade deals on services (although the paper notes that ‘services-only deals are a relative novelty’). The Daily Telegraph reports that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has ruled out such an arrangement, but the Prime Minister has been less clear.

Brexit economic analysis reveals that EU migration might fall by just 40,000
The Daily Telegraph claims that leaked Government economic analysis of Brexit reveals that ministers are planning for EU migration to fall by just 40,000 a year if the UK reaches a free trade deal with the EU. If the Government fails to agree a deal with the EU, the analysis expects EU migration to fall by 90,000. An estimated 230,000 immigrants migrated to the UK in the year to June 2017.

NHS spending on compensation and medicines under scrutiny
Two articles in this morning’s papers focus on high costs being incurred by the NHS. The Daily Telegraph says that health service leaders have written to the Justice Secretary David Gauke, claiming that unless victims of NHS errors receive less compensation, the service will be bankrupted. Meanwhile, an investigation by The Times finds that the NHS has been overcharged for thousands of drugs.

Labour considers new policy to cut house-building costs
A new policy to cut the cost of council house building is being considered by Labour and is detailed in The Guardian. The proposals, drawn up by Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey, would see an English Sovereign Land Trust established to buy land at its pre-planning consent value, cutting the cost of building 10,000 homes a year by £10bn.

May praised by Chinese state media and dubbed ‘Auntie May’
According to The Guardian, Chinese state-run media has praised Theresa May following her trip to the country. The Global Times reportedly said that she had ‘sidestepped’ issues including human rights and Hong Kong, and had sought ‘pragmatic collaboration’. The Times adds that young social media users in the country have dubbed her ‘Auntie May’ and says that she is set to announce £300m of commercial deals to export British cultural brands.

Groups opposed to hard Brexit join forces
The Guardian reports that groups opposed to a hard Brexit have coalesced under the leadership of Chuka Umunna. The groups, with over 500,000 members, will work together as the grassroots coordinating group (GCG). Other politicians involved include Anna Soubry, Caroline Lucas and Jo Swinson.

Unlimited fines for carmakers who cheat emissions tests
New Department for Transport proposals would see carmakers who cheat emissions tests faced with unlimited fines, The Times says. The proposals, which go beyond EU law, come after the scandal triggered by Volkswagen’s use of ‘defeat device’ software to beat tests.

Brexit minister admits making mistake
Yesterday, in the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg asked Brexit minister Steve Baker whether Treasury officials had ‘deliberately developed a model to show that all options other than staying in the customs union were bad’, attributing his claim to Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform. Baker said that Rees-Mogg’s account was ‘essentially correct’, but later had to back down after an audio recording of Grant emerged. Baker will now apologise to Grant and ‘clarify’ his remarks to the Commons, as the BBC reports.

Vuelio Political services are available to you, find out how. 

Influence Live

Meet the Influencers

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Vuelio recently hosted the Meet the Influencers session at the CIPR’s Influence Live event, where we were joined by two top bloggers to discuss working with PRs and they revealed the secrets of influence.

After Ralf Little’s keynote, the Influence Live group broke up into three groups. Vuelio was joined by Jo Middleton – award winning blogger and number one in the parenting rank with Slummy Single Mummy – and Jane Cunningham – author of British Beauty Blogger, the number one beauty blog. Both bloggers have years of experience working on content creation and brand collaboration.

Taking a table of delegates each, the influencers spent time fielding questions and talking about their work. The intimate environment allowed delegates to chat with each blogger, asking how they like to work with PRs, their approach to charities and the differences between journalists and bloggers.

Jane, who explained that she started blogging because it allowed her to talk about products in a way that magazine journalism wouldn’t allow, advocated having good relationships with influencers, and understanding that as it’s their livelihood, professional bloggers should get paid. She also discussed the importance of disclosure, and explained how all paid-for posts on her site were with established brands that she believed in – and clearly labelled with #ad.

Jo (who resisted the urge to only show pictures of her kittens), highlighted the increasing importance of social for brands, particularly Instagram. Brands are approaching her that now want campaigns specifically focused on Instagram posts or Stories – the latter particularly useful for brands since the addition of the swipe-up functionality for external links.  She also advocated brands pushing bloggers for metrics, as Iceland did with her, and enjoys working hard to meet targets and goals.

The delegates were a real mix of agency, in-house and freelance, with each group bringing their own ideas and perspectives to the conversation. Both influencers gave the PR pros plenty to think about, with some even suggesting campaign ideas by the end of the session.

If you’d like to improve your influencer outreach and work with Jo, Jane or any one of the thousands of influencers we know, check out our Influencer Database.

Ralf Little

Ralf Little on Twitter

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At the recent Influence Live event, CIPR President, Sarah Hall, interviewed acting star Ralf Little about his responsibilities on social media. Little was enthusiastic about everything from his high-profile Twitter spat with Jeremy Hunt to the ability to change your mind as you age.

While it was perhaps the former that brought Little to the event, it was the latter that really resonated. He explained how politicians and public figures should feel more able to admit to their mistakes and denounce their views from when they were younger in order to show growth and change. When asked if he would run for political office, Little suggested he had done and said too many controversial things in his twenties, which were too well documented.

This is a big issue for all figures across social media, from Jack Maynard – who left the I’m a Celebrity jungle last year after controversial tweets surfaced from his past – to Toby Young – who deleted his Twitter account after he was appointed to the board for the Office for Students (a role he subsequently resigned from). While Little believes people should be able to explain how they’ve changed since they were younger, he did point out that Toby Young was in his forties when he made the comments and argued that it wasn’t the same thing.

When questioned about his purposes for using Twitter, Little explained that he resisted joining for a long time and now he’s on the platform, he’s found it doesn’t make him happy and he even regrets joining on many days. For public figures in general, he thinks there’s a distinction between self-promotion and highlighting causes. He has considered, for example, doorstepping Jeremy Hunt, but feels that escalation of their argument would make it more about him and less about the issues he perceives within the NHS.

Little suggested the issues with Twitter revolve around the lack of furthering though. He argued that the platform’s brevity made opinions too easy to deliver without thought – and they were too easy to muddle with facts. And if Twitter users are faced with evidence or proof against their position, they dig their heels in more – refusing to be swayed. This is what he feels happened with Jeremy Hunt who initially engaged with Little, before going silent.

Throughout the interview, Little seemed torn between whether Twitter was a good or bad addition to society but he accepts that it’s now a part of life. In fact, after turning off his alarm, Twitter is the first thing he checks in the morning.

You can follow Ralf Little on Twitter.

 

Today’s Political Headlines – 1 February 2018

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Today’s Political Headlines include the rights of EU citizens in the UK during the Brexit transition, the benefits of EU migrants compared to a US trade deal, May’s talks with China’s Xi Jinping and water companies criticised by Gove. 

May: EU citizens coming to UK during transition should not enjoy same rights
The Guardian says that Theresa May has ‘sparked a new clash’ with the EU, after she argued that EU citizens arriving in the UK during the transition period should not have the same rights as EU citizens arriving at present. The European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, told the paper ‘Citizens’ rights during the transition is not negotiable.’

Cost of cutting EU migration to UK revealed; EU strategy paper leaks
BuzzFeed News has released more details from the leaked Government Brexit impact analysis. The analysis reveals that the cost to the UK economy of cutting migration from the EU would be greater than the benefits of a trade deal with the US. The Government will now allow MPs and peers to view the document in a ‘secure reading room’. The Financial Times has obtained a leaked strategy paper, which shows the EU is threatening sanctions to stop the UK from undercutting the EU economy after Brexit.

May to hold talks with Chinese President
Theresa May is to hold talks with Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, later today. According to the BBC, the agenda will include trade and security issues, including the North Korean nuclear programme. The Prime Minister will also raise environmental concerns. Yesterday, May agreed a new trade and investment review with the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The Guardian adds that Liam Fox admitted that a trade deal with China ‘may be some time away’, but that trade could be increased despite remaining in a customs union with the EU.

Water companies criticised by Gove
In a letter to Ofwat, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove has criticised water companies for using ‘opaque financial structures based in tax havens’ and making ‘excessive profits’, The Daily Telegraph reports. He has offered to give Ofwat new powers to reign in the companies.

MPs vote to move out of the Palace of Westminster to allow refurbishment
In what The Times calls a ‘surprise result’, MPs have voted to move out of the Palace of Westminster for at least six years to allow refurbishment work to go ahead. The ‘full decant’ is expected to start in 2025 at the earliest. A plan drawn up by Downing Street and Conservative whips to postpone the decision until 2022 failed, with an amendment by Meg Hillier succeeding. The move now needs the approval of the House of Lords.

Senior minister prepares to resign
In an exclusive, The Sun claims that a ‘senior minister’ is ‘close to resigning’, in a move which could lead to Theresa May’s ‘downfall’. The minister, who has been frustrated by the failure to promote younger MPs, would then call for a new direction from the backbenches.

‘Baby leave’ voting system for MPs likely to be approved
A system that allows MPs who have recently become parents to nominate a colleague to vote in Parliament on their behalf is likely to be approved today, The Guardian says. The proposal, put forward by Harriet Harman and Maria Miller, will be handed over to the Speaker, John Bercow, and the Procedure Committee to consider enacting, if it is approved.

£21bn hole in defence spending
The Ministry of Defence’s equipment plan is ‘not affordable’ according to a National Audit Office report, an article in The Times says. The department has a funding hole of £21bn over ten years, omitted the £1.3bn cost of five new frigates from the plan and experienced a £576m increase in the cost of four replacement Trident submarines.

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Lorna Burford

Blogger Spotlight: Lorna Burford, Raindrops of Sapphire

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Lorna Burford is the author of Raindrops of Sapphire, one of the top fashion blogs in the UK. With her love of premium denim and iconic countryside shoots, Lorna’s taken the fashion world by storm. After ranking in the Top 20 UK Fashion Blogs, we caught up with Lorna to chat about the importance of Fashion Weeks to the industry, using social media and working with brands.

How would you describe your blog?
I would say it’s a mixture of fashion, personal style, health, and lifestyle. It originally started out over nine years ago as a place online to share my likes in the fashion world, but has since evolved to be an extension of my life as well.

Raindrops of SapphireWhat makes your blog successful?
Thank you for saying it’s successful, I am always appreciative of that! I would say the amount of time and commitment spent on it. I make sure I only publish the best content and create articles that I am proud of, so that goes a long way in making sure it’s visually appealing as well as full of content people want to read. There’s so much time spent behind the scenes though, so a combination of hard work and imagination I think.

How do you use other platforms, and how does that tie back in with your blog?
I mostly use Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Each of them are different though so on Facebook and Twitter I will share my blog posts and occasionally a little random photo, but on Instagram it’s like a separate entity. A mini blog in itself if you were. So, I share all different photos, a lot from my blog, but unique ones too and scenery, but the important thing is to find that balance of unique content and promotional content to your blog. They’re all connected, but separate too. IG stories is really useful with the swipe up link feature too!

How do you work with fashion weeks?
I actually no longer do. I don’t attend any shows and I rarely cover them anymore either. I find it much too stressful and hectic, especially with my health issues, so it wasn’t worth it to me as every other blogger covers fashion week so it was never really unique in a way. I do my own thing now really.

Fashion bloggerWhy are fashion weeks important for the industry?
They’re definitely important as they shape the season. Getting a huge worldwide collection of designers showing their latest pieces amidst everyone else is a huge way to see what trends are going to be big. When I watch the shows online (as I do live streams now instead), I’m taking note of the colour palettes, the cuts and angles, or different things that a few designers are all doing. Once you see a pattern emerging, you know it’s going to be big! Plus, it’s a way for everyone to get their name out there and designers to make it big. It’s pretty much the bi-annual event that fashion itself revolves around.

What should we expect to see for SS18?
I’m actually hoping that it might be different for denim. As I work in the denim area, all I’m seeing lately is crazy, un-wearable jeans as designers run out of ideas and just think of pushing the boundaries instead. Some of the things I have seen this year have seriously left me questioning the industry. I would like to see more skinny and stretchy fits and embroidery to come back – normal and wearable denim. I’m pretty sure SS18 is going to be full of pastels and florals though in terms of clothing.

What brands are you particular excited to see this season?
My usually loves are Valentino, Burberry, Gucci, Chanel and Topshop Unique. However, I was left really disappointed by last year’s Burberry show. Christopher Bailey did his last season and there wasn’t one piece I liked from the collection, which shocked me as I usually love everything. It’s hit or miss for me as I can be excited by a brand but then once they get a new designer or decide to take a different approach, it can make or break the season.

How can brands/PRs best work with you around fashion week?
It does get a bit much when your inbox is constantly swimming with press releases on shows and general cold mail like that, so I would suggest making things a little more unique. Make the emails personal, hold interesting and exclusive events perhaps, or work on campaigns where you model some of the latest collections. Anything a little different might shake things up a bit.

What campaigns have you enjoyed working on previously?
There’s been quite a few and I only select campaigns I love and am happy to be part of, but I would say the ones that have stood out to me are not fashion related, but for a cause instead. I’ve been part of Wear It Wild for WWF where I did a video, but also mental health and illness campaigns too to raise awareness. I think those have the most impact and influence.

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What do you call yourself (blogger/creator/Influencer)?
I call myself a blogger. It’s what I started out as and what I do on a daily basis, so that’s what I always tell someone when they ask. If you become an influencer from that, that’s great, but I’m more comfortable with the term ‘blogger’.

What other blogs do you read?
I read quite a few! I enjoy the fashion blogs that get me thinking and who have a similar style to mine. Cupcakes & Cashmere, Brooklyn Blonde, Fashion Jackson, I Am Chouquette, Fashioned Chic, Mariannan, That New Dress, Not Jess Fashion… There’s a lot that I enjoy!

 

Lorna Burford and Raindrops of Sapphire are just two blogs listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists and editors.