Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 19 January 2017

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This week’s Five Things includes YouTube’s new payment rules, Tesco’s Clubcard criticism, the Fake News Award, a Dublin hotel that’s banned bloggers and Big Narstie presenting the weather.

1. YouTube payment rules

YouTubeThe Logan Paul scandal that originally hit at the beginning of January, and led to an unprecedented YouTube apology, has now made it into a third week of Five Things. Last week, the platform promised ‘more steps’ to ensure videos like Logan’s never appeared again. That has been revealed as a manual review system, where YouTube staff will review all clips before they are added to a premium service that pairs the top creators with leading brands (a service Logan Paul was removed from last week).

This follows a previous announcement that YouTube would have over 10,000 workers reviewing clips on the platform anyway, by the end of 2018. With manual review in place, YouTube will be taking on more responsible for offensive videos and controversial content.

The platform is also making it harder for creators to make money off their videos, with no videos including adverts unless the creator has at least 1,000 subscribers and more than 4,000 hours of their content has been viewed in the past 12 months. This is likely to hit niche creators and those that consider YouTube a supplementary income, but generally shouldn’t hit the bulk of the platform too hard. If someone is making enough money from YouTube that they consider it a viable income, they probably already meet YouTube’s new requirements.

 

2. Tesco Clubcard changes and the backlash

chrisdorney / Shutterstock.comThis week, Tesco changed its Clubcard rewards offer overnight. Instead of some deals being worth four times the value of the Clubcard points and some being worth two, everything became three times the value of the points. The backlash was immediate, with customers who were saving up points claiming they had been robbed of the additional value. This led to another change, as Tesco then decided to delay the new system until 10 June.

It is unclear what motivated the initial immediate change, but what became very obvious was how customers feel about their Clubcard points. As the points are promoting ‘loyalty’ in visiting the store – something that has hit the supermarket industry hard in recent years – making the unannounced change was always going to be a big risk. Now it’s been delayed, expect hundreds of deals to be cashed in at all associated businesses before June.

 

3. Fake News Awards

FakiesDonald Trump announced his Fake News Awards for 2017 on the GOP’s blog. The 11 winners were dominated by CNN and the New York Times, who managed six between them. While the announcement has provoked mirth and bemusement from many, a political leader attacking his nation’s free press should be concerning for us all. That it’s expected of Donald Trump makes it no less alarming.

 

4. Dublin hotel bans bloggers

Dublin Hotel
Beauty and fitness influencer Elle Darby asked a hotel in Dublin for a free stay in return for some coverage on her YouTube and Instagram channels. Unfortunately, the hotel was The White Moose Café in Dublin, and owner Paul Stenson already has a reputation for his controversial attitudes to some groups of people, including vegans and breastfeeders. He published her request on Facebook with a big ‘no’ and things quickly blew up.

The issue has raised questions over how much influence is understood in the wider community and the validity of blogging as both a career and an industry.

 

5. Big Narstie presents the weather
Grime star Big Narstie fulfilled a ‘big dream’ by presenting the weather on Good Morning Britain this week. Starting with ‘Aight, boom. The streets of England’, and taking in pets, ‘a bag of snow’ and Lemsip, you know it’s worth a watch:

 

Have WE missed something? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

agency competition

Influence at Creative Shootout

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We are delighted to be supporting this year’s Creative Shootout and providing finalists with an ‘Influencer Hotline’ during their creative process.

The Creative Shootout is an annual competition that presents a charity brief to the finalists, who then have four hours create a ten-minute pitch. The ‘Live’ Final is just that, with the audience voting on each pitch to decide the top three, including a winner whose pitch will be supported by £250,000 media prize fund from 1XL, and £30,000 worth of agency fees from this year’s Charity FareShare.

Vuelio is known for its influencer relations, from the world-famous blog rankings to the Vuelio Awards – ‘the Oscars of the blogging world’. And we also publish a range of surveys and reports with unique insight into all types of influencers and their relationships with PR and brands. The Vuelio Influencer Database lists thousands of both new and traditional influencers from newspaper editors and politicians to the hottest Instagram stars.

Our in-house research team spend hundreds of hours identifying these influencers, understanding how they work and discussing what topics they like to cover. We create profiles and write biographies so our clients know the best ways to engage with each influencer on an individual level. Good influencer outreach is about identifying the people that can reach your audience and getting to know them, inside out.

We’ll be using our in-house expertise for the Creative Shootout with our dedicated ‘Influencer Hotline’. Our unique intelligence service will be just a phone call away for all the finalists when planning their pitches.

Whether it’s identifying the influencers that can unlock campaign success or revealing which social platforms are best for engagement, our team will be on hand for all the finalists’ influencer needs.

And if the finalists need to know anything about media outreach, monitoring or analysis – well we can help with that too. In fact, Vuelio prides itself on its diverse offering and is always happy to help people looking to engage their audience, whether it’s the public, media or government. Our integrated software can help you build and maintain relationships with, quite literally, anyone.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 19 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which include French/UK relations, the Boris Bridge, the continuation of the Carillion chaos, the tuition fee review and funding for underperforming schools. 

May and Macron agree new treaty, but Boris’s bridge suggestion dominates headlines
Yesterday saw the summit between Theresa May and the French President Emmanuel Macron, which has sparked a range of stories. The Times says that May has agreed to fast-track asylum claims from Calais migrants, as the two leaders signed the new Sandhurst Treaty, and the Financial Times claims that Macron ruled out a special deal for the City in the Brexit agreement. However, the headlines have been dominated by Boris Johnson’s suggestion of a new bridge between the UK and France, as The Daily Telegraph reports.

Carillion pled for Government support, while Corbyn pledges to take back control
The Financial Times reveals that Carillion begged the Government for a £150m short-term loan as it tried to avert collapse. Senior figures at the company said they believed the Government turned down the request because of pressure from Vince Cable and reaction to the bailout of the East Coast rail franchise. However, Government sources insisted that there was never a ‘significant chance’ of this. Jeremy Corbyn has told The Guardian that Labour would ‘rewrite the rules to give the public back control of their services’.

Tuition fees to be reviewed
According to the Daily Mail, the new universities minister, Sam Gyimah, has said that officials would investigate whether the highest tuition fee of £9,250 ‘works across the system’. This would form part of a wider inquiry into tertiary education, but he refused to give a timetable or the review’s terms of reference.

Damian Hinds announces funding for underperforming schools
The new Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, has written in The Times, calling for ‘an ambitious culture in all our schools’, announcing over £45m for the best academies to improve underperforming schools, and pledging to reduce teachers’ workload and to continue supporting established professionals to enter the profession.

Trump to snub May at World Economic Forum
The Daily Telegraph claims that President Trump ‘is poised to snub Theresa May for the second time this month’, as he has no plans to meet her at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. The Prime Minister had apparently been hoping for a ‘clear the air meeting’.

Aircraft carrier and jet programme puts defence projects at risk, report says
A report by the Public Accounts Committee warns that the Ministry of Defence’s aircraft carrier and jet programme is leaving it ‘financially exposed’ and putting other defence projects at risk, the BBC says.

Prison crisis revealed by new reports
The Independent has details of reports that reveal ‘the crisis at the heart of the prison service’. Inspectors described HMP Liverpool’s conditions as the ‘worst they have ever seen’, whilst an ‘urgent notification’ has been issued for the first time following a not-yet-published inspection of HMP Nottingham, which found that it was ‘fundamentally unsafe’.

Repairs to Westminster could be delayed
The Guardian reports concerns that the restoration of the Palace of Westminster could be delayed. MPs are to be given a vote on a motion authorising work to go ahead, but with a review before the end of 2022 on whether comprehensive works were needed. If not agreed, MPs can decide to vote for an independent body to examine the issue. The Government is refusing to allow amendments to the motions.

Do you need political insight? Learn more about Vuelio political services

rolled up newspapers

The Times overtakes the Telegraph

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According to the latest monthly ABC figures, The Times has now overtaken The Daily Telegraph in circulation, with the former up 1.3% month-on-month and the latter down 14.2%.

As reported by Press Gazette, The Times sold 446,204 copies in December last year, while the Telegraph managed only 393,310.

The main reason for this change is bulk sales – papers delivered to businesses, hotels and organisations that make them available for free. The Times achieved over 93,000 bulk sales whereas the Telegraph has ceased the practice. If the two publications’ circulations were compared on copies purchased directly, then The Times would still lag behind the Telegraph by some 40,000 copies.

Nick Hugh, chief executive of The Telegraph said: ‘Building on our position as the UK’s bestselling quality newspaper, we are embarking on a new long-term strategy to help secure a long and lasting future for original, trusted journalism.

‘Our focus is on evolving the traditional publishing model to one that’s fit for the 21st century. Central to this is building stronger and deeper relationships with our readers by encouraging at least 10m of them to register with us. In doing so we can deliver a more personalised and seamless multimedia experience across both print and the range of devices used by our readers.’

The Telegraph’s current online strategy involves a semi-permeable paywall, with some content available for free but more requiring paid-subscription, labelled ‘premium’.

This was actually covered in this week’s Private Eye, which correctly predicted the Telegraph falling behind The Times’ circulation but suggested ’email registrations’ were ‘worse than useless’ as a viable business model.

That hasn’t stopped The Times though, where growing digital subscribers is also on the agenda. Chris Duncan, managing director of Times Newspapers, said: ‘The Times is justifiably proud to reach this milestone. We are equally proud of our double-digit growth in digital subscriptions and more than 2.5m registered users.

‘This is testament to our continued investment in agenda-setting journalism and our relentless focus on keeping readers well-informed during turbulent times.’

The general figures for year-on-year circulations have seen a decline across every major newspaper apart from the London Evening Standard, which has increased 2.29% and the Times, which has increased 0.01%.

The Guardian, which this week switched to tabloid format to save money, was down 5.88% from December 2016 to December 2017.

Every major newspaper and their journalists are listed in the Vuelio Media Database. 

Fakies

Fake News Awards: and the winner is…

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Donald Trump has been promising the ‘Fake News Awards’ for a couple of weeks, and after it was postponed once, excitement reached fever pitch last night as the anticipated time finally arrived.

Rather anticlimactically, the Fake News Awards were not revealed at a black tie gala dinner but in a blog post on the GOP’s official website (yes, really). Tweeted by Donald Trump, ‘The Highly-Anticipated 2017 Fake News Awards’ named 11 ‘winners’.

Despite their campaigning, there weren’t prizes for either Stephen Colbert (who campaigned with a billboard in Times Square) or Trevor Noah (who ran a full page ad in the New York Times).

Unsurprisingly, CNN were the big winners from the night, bagging four #Fakies. The New York Times managed two, while Newsweek, The Washington Post, Time and ABC took one each. The final award was aimed at the mainstream media for reporting ‘Russia Collusion’.

When Trump announced the award winners, the GOP site crashed, showing the huge level of interest there is in another strange moment in a presidency of strange moments.

When the site was back up and running, readers were not only greeted with the 11 award winners, but also 10 ‘results’ Trump has achieved, from ‘recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel’ to ‘African Americans and Hispanics are enjoying the lowest unemployment rate in recorded history’.

What’s most concerning about the Fake News Awards, is not that they’re clearly a promotional tool for Trump’s ‘good’ work, but that they’re being widely mocked. The world has now reached a level of apathy for ethics that the President of the most powerful nation in the world can openly attack the media, and by extension the freedom of the press, and it be considered a joke.

The Fakies should concern everyone.

Trump has spent a long time undermining the validity of the press, and for the most part, the press has played along. The more this happens, the more Trump will be able to act or behave however he likes without being held accountable.

There was once a time when a front page could topple a government, but in the age of Trump, that power has gone. Everyone, from the media to the public, are now just helpless bystanders to the Trump show – and who knows what will be next.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 18 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which include doubts over PFI benefits, more funding for Calais, the continuing Carillion fallout and the Brexit Bill’s journey to the Lords. 

NAO report casts doubts on PFI benefits
A report by the National Audit Office casts doubt on the benefits of using PFI, The Guardian says. According to the report, the cost of using private finance for public projects can be 40% higher than using Government money, while the deals will force taxpayers to pay out £200bn over the next 25 years.

Macron to demand more funding for Calais when he meets May
Theresa May is to announce £44.5m to improve border security when she meets President Macron today, The Times reports. However, Macron is expected to demand more money to improve the Calais economy, that the UK takes more child migrants and that the UK speeds up asylum claims.

Fallout from Carillion collapse continues
The Guardian reports that trade unions are angry with the Government’s attempts to reassure workers following the collapse of Carillion, with the GMB calling for ‘proper guarantees’. The Financial Times adds that Carillion bosses have been stripped of bonus and severance payments following a public outcry, and that work has been ‘paused’ on building projects.

Brexit Bill leaves Commons and heads to Lords, whilst Labour MPs rebel
As The Daily Telegraph reports, last night the EU (Withdrawal) Bill passed its final stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is now headed for the Lords. Forty-eight Labour MPs rebelled against their frontbench to back an amendment that would have kept the UK in the single market and the customs union. The Guardian adds that Justine Greening used the debate as an opportunity to make her first backbench intervention, claiming that young people could undo Brexit.

Power-sharing talks to restart in Northern Ireland
The new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, has announced that power-sharing talks are to restart in Northern Ireland on 24 January, The Guardian says. Bradley, who meets the Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney in Belfast this morning, said that ‘one last opportunity to reach agreement remains.’

New Lord Chancellor on ‘charm offensive’
The Times has interviewed the new Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, and describes him as being on a ‘charm offensive’. He apparently signalled his concern over ‘the “crisis” in judicial morale and recruitment’, pledged to champion the legal services industry, and defended his decision to seek advice over a potential challenge to the release of John Warboys. Separately, the paper warns of a ‘£30m bonanza for consultants’ as part of the courts modernisation programme.

Facebook to expand Russia investigation
Facebook has agreed to expand its investigation into alleged Russian intervention during the EU referendum, the Financial Times reports. This follows pressure from the Commons Digital, Media and Sport Committee, which said the firm’s previous efforts had been inadequate.

Further remarks by Ben Bradley cause controversy
More comments from blogposts by the new Tory Vice-Chair for Youth, Ben Bradley, have come to light, The Times says. In the remarks, he claims that ‘police brutality should be encouraged’. He has apologised.

Do you need political insight? Learn more about Vuelio political services

PMQs: Theresa May’s word cloud – 17 January 2018

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At Prime Minister’s Questions, Theresa May faced questions from MPs on the Carillion collapse, the NHS and the devolved powers. We present the word cloud for Theresa May’s answers at PMQs on 17 January 2018.

Word cloud

Carillion
As expected, the Prime Minister was repeatedly questioned by Jeremy Corbyn on the Government’s handling of the collapse of Carillion. She assured the House that employees who are providing public services will be paid for the work they are providing and said the Government will help workers who are unemployed as a result.

After being blamed by Corbyn for not foreseeing the collapse, May said that the Government is a customer of Carillion, not its manager. She further argued that if the Government pulled out of contracts whenever a profit warning was issued, that would be the best way to ensure that companies failed, and jobs were lost.

May then stated that the Labour-run Welsh Government also awarded a contract to Carillion after the profit warning was issued and said a third of Government contracts with Carillion were let by the previous Labour administration.

The NHS
May was asked about the waiting times for NHS treatments after Nic Dakin MP cited a 52-week wait for pain treatment for one of his constituents. May explained that the Government is putting more money into the NHS and an extra £2.8bn was included in the budget. She said the Government wants to ensure all hospitals are world class and acting in accordance with best practice. Another MP asked about radiotherapy treatment under the NHS at a local level, with some patients having to travel far to receive their treatment.

May said the Government wants people to have access to these treatments and these decisions are to be taken at a local level. Additionally, May was asked about the lack of mental health beds, to which she admitted that there is ‘more to do’, but said that more people are able to access mental health services every day.

Devolved Powers
As the EU (Withdrawal) Bill reaches the remaining stages in the House of Commons today, SNP Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, accused the Prime Minister of not having a clue about the impact of Brexit. He said the Scottish Government has published research suggesting Scottish people will be worse off by £2,300 a year. May said that Scottish GDP grew 0.2% in the last quarter compared with 0.4% in the rest of the UK, arguing that Scotland is better off with a Conservative Government than an SNP one.

Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, asked if May will support a bill in the Welsh assembly ensuring Westminster does not keep powers after Brexit that should be devolved, to which May said that an amendment will be introduced in the House of Lords to clause 11 of the EU Withdrawal Bill. She also said that she is committed to establishing a fully-functioning executive in Northern Ireland and called on all parties to re-engage in discussions.

Environment
In light of the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan, published last week, May said she will encourage companies to follow what Iceland has done by eliminating all plastic packaging of own label products. May was also asked if she agreed that sustainable development needs to take into account the needs of the environment, to which May said it is possible to protect the environment and promote growth at the same time.

Keep it SimpElle

Blogger Spotlight: Elle Linton, Keep it SimpElle

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Elle Linton is the author behind Keep it SimpElle, the top 10 Fitness and Exercise blog. A health and fitness professional, Elle teaches fitness as well as writing about it and has worked with a number of brands in the fitness sector. We spoke to her about fitness at the beginning of the year, owning her blog and working with PR. 

How would you describe your blog?
I like to think of my blog as an online CV so everyone can get to know a little about me but also as a place to connect and create a community of people interested and passionate about health, fitness and food. It’s a space for me to share things and have real conversations about topics that are maybe a little more in-depth than social media platforms can handle.

How important is the beginning of the year for you and your content?
I think January is renowned for being all about fitness and eating well after the indulgences of the celebratory season. Personally, I’ve tried not to add to all the ‘noise’ out there but this is a time to utilise where I can connect with new people and grow my community by inspiring others.

How did you get into fitness?
I was always into sport when growing up, however during adolescence I struggled with anemia and motivation. I only got back into sport and fitness when I combined my love for science with P.E (because it was more theory than practical) and chose to study Exercise Science at university. I’d say I was pretty inactive during my years studying but the little activity I did do had huge physiological and physical benefits for me, mostly helping me to cope with stress and very uncomfortable menstrual cycles. When I started working after my degree I met my friend Lex, who inspired me to learn more about eating well, got me started on my running journey and encouraged me to teach fitness classes!

Keep it SimpElle

What advice would you give someone that wants to start getting fit and healthy?
I’d tell them to make it their goal to try as many different activities as they need to until they find one that they really enjoy. The options feel almost limitless…

Reach out to friends and family to support you or encourage someone else to get started with you for moral support and accountability. Set yourself some goals and don’t forget to ensure your progress; there are lots of free apps out, wearable tech or just simple body measurement using a tape measure. When it comes to food, make small changes like eating out less, cutting down on alcohol, switch up your snacks for healthier versions or just add more colour to your plate in the form of vegetables!

What would you say to someone who says they’ve given up the gym (already!)?
I’d ask them to re-evaluate why they started in the first place; what were their goals? Did they seem unachievable? What has stopped them and how can they remove any barriers? Fitness really isn’t something someone else can do for you or make you do… you have to do it for yourself and be really clear on your why.

What’s your favourite exercise?
Right now I’m loving barbell work especially in classes. Learning the back lifts is also empowering and gives you a little more confidence to walk into the weights room in any gym and know what you’re doing. I particularly love exercises that target my lower body like front squats and deadlifts.

Is there any fitness challenge you’ve planned to conquer?
I’m hoping to complete the Tough Mudder series this year. I had my first taste last year completing the half and I enjoyed it so much more than I ever expected. I’m also keen to get back on my bike for another challenge after cycling from London to Paris in 2017 with some of my blogging buddies. I love a little spontaneity too so who knows what other opportunities might find themselves on my radar for 2018!

What’s the best way for PRs to work with you at the beginning of the year?
It’s a really busy time for those in health and fitness so I love it when I get contacted with a clear brief for projects that are mutually beneficial to both the brand and myself. I know it’s hard to come up with great ideas too but original themes, something a little outside the box of what we’re all expecting, makes it interesting for content creators and then our audience.

Want to work with influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in Fitness, fashion, lifestyle & more.

Get in touch

What PR campaigns have you enjoyed working on?
It’s hard to pick but a few definitely spring to mind… There was the Suunto campaign when they launched their new Spartan Trainer watch, which is perfect for obstacle races and outdoor fun, in addition to everything a regular gps watch has to offer. I got to test it out at Tough Mudder and also for the first ever Barbados Cycling Festival, which was also another favourite of mine. I was born in Barbados and was at home at the time of the event so I organised a bike for myself and took part in the sportive. It was amazing to be involved in such an event and to be doing something that’s new to me in Barbados (usually just sun, sea and sand!). Then there was the RideLondon – Surrey 46 sportive in the summer, which was my first time taking part in the event and a good introduction to the 100-mile event that I hope to take part in one day.

What do you call yourself? [eg. Blogger/influencer/content creator]
First and foremost I call myself a Fitness Professional. Then I’d say Blogger as that was the platform that got me started and allowed me to be creative. It’s also the only platform that is mine – I think we sometimes forget that platforms like Instagram are not owned by us and could be taken away without notice! So everything I do, I see as supplementary to my blog.

What other blogs do you read?
I’m always reading a huge variety of blogs but a few of my current faves include Hues of Delahaye for travel and photography inspiration, A Pretty Place to Play for running inspo and mental health topics, That’s My Mum for fitness and girl boss inspiration and The Girl Outdoors to inspire some outdoor adventures!

 

Elle and Keep it SimpElle are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other amazing bloggers, journalists and editors. 

Filament PR

Sarah Pinch joins Filament PR

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Sarah Pinch and Anne-Marie Lacey

Anne-Marie Lacey, managing director of Filament PR, has announced the appointment of Sarah Pinch as non-executive director.

Sarah has been a director of communications in a number of organisations before she started her own agency, Pinch Point Communications in Bristol. She was also CIPR President in 2015 and is a non-executive for the Health and Safety Executive.

Sarah has a reputation for ethical practices and championing diversity in public relations; she is ranked in the FT and HERoes’ top 50 women in business for diversity and, in October 2017, was made chair of the Taylor Bennett Foundation.

Anne-Marie first met Sarah in 2015 at a CIPR event in Newcastle, when Sarah was President of the Institute.  Anne-Marie approached Sarah to set up a nation-wide network for young communicators and together they founded the CIPR’s Young Communicators’ Forum.

Anne-Marie explained that Sarah was the first person she called when she originally set up Filament PR, and described Sarah as her ‘professional mentor, number-one-cheerleader and at times a challenging critic’. Launched in October 2016, Filament PR is based in the North East of England and specialises in lifestyle, leisure and entertainment. The agency works with clients – including Enesco, which sees the team work with Pusheen, Beatrix Potter and Disney – across the UK.

The non-executive director role is a formalisation of a relationship that has been in place for many years. Sarah’s importance to Filament PR’s success is highlighted by Anne-Marie, who said: ‘I’m certain Filament PR’s success story to-date has been – in part – down to the strategic guidance and direction given by Sarah.’

Sarah will continue to run Pinch Point Communications along with her other professional commitments. Her new role at Filament PR will see her provide strategic direction and insight to the Board, and she will help to grow the business that is continuing to go from strength to strength.

Sarah said: ‘I am delighted to be joining Filament PR as the Non-Executive Director.  I have had the privilege of mentoring Anne-Marie for the last three years, watching her develop as a highly professional PR practitioner and successful business woman.

‘By formalising our working relationship in this way, I look forward to helping Filament PR deliver ever more successful work for our clients and build a strong reputation for excellence.  It is a very exciting time indeed.’

Anne-Marie said: ‘For me personally, having become a Chartered PR Practitioner and winning the national title of Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year at the CIPR’s Excellence Awards last summer, it’s given me a great platform to raise the profile of Filament PR and bring in a raft of new business, especially over the final two quarters of the financial year.

‘Having recently hired an Office Manager to oversee the administrative side of the business and with Sarah on board too, we’re looking to expand our team over the course of the year with a number of other key associate appointments across design, digital, content creation and marketing communications. It really is a very exciting time for us all and I’m delighted Sarah is at the helm, supporting me and my team through her strategic direction to help make our aspirations for 2018 and beyond a reality.’

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 17 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, which are still dominated by Carillion. The press has also covered Macron’s Bayeux Tapestry offer, the minister for loneliness and the Government’s risk of missing carbon targets. 

Carillion collapse affects 30,000 firms
As The Guardian outlines, 30,000 firms could be owed money by Carillion, while the Government has ordered investigations to be fast-tracked. The Financial Times says that Jeremy Corbyn has called for ‘an end to the rip-off privatisation policies’.

Macron to announce loan of Bayeux Tapestry to the UK when he meets Theresa May
According to an exclusive report in The Times, French President Emmanuel Macron is due to announce the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK when he meets Theresa May on Thursday. This would be the first time the tapestry has left France in 950 years, subject to safety tests. The paper also reports on a speech given by Macron in Calais yesterday, in which he outlined the immigration issues that he hoped to discuss with May.

May appoints a minister for loneliness
Today’s Daily Mail reports that Theresa May has given Tracey Crouch, already Minister for Civil Society and Sport, ministerial responsibility for loneliness. The move, which had been recommended in a report by the Jo Cox Commission for Loneliness, will see Crouch draw together different Government departments, announce new funding, and ask the Office for National Statistics to devise a means of measuring loneliness.

Government at risk of missing carbon targets
The Committee on Climate Change has warned that the UK will miss its legally-binding carbon targets if the Government does not take urgent action, The Guardian says. However, it has also praised the Government for its Clean Growth Strategy. The Committee’s Chair, Lord Deben, said ‘even if they do all the things they say they are going to do, to the maximum, there will still be a gap.’

New Tory vice-chair called for vasectomies for the unemployed
The Mirror has the news that the Conservative Party’s new vice-chair for youth, Ben Bradley, called for the unemployed to have vasectomies. Bradley made the comments in a blogpost in 2012. Bradley has now deleted the posts and apologised for the remarks, with the paper claiming that Theresa May is now under ‘huge pressure’ to sack him.

Johnson warns May that she must make NHS funding commitment
The Daily Telegraph claims that Boris Johnson has warned Theresa May that the Government must make a public commitment to giving the NHS an extra £100m a week after Brexit. An ‘ally of Mr Johnson’ told the paper ‘Boris thinks that for the Tories to beat Corbyn it is fundamental that the government delivers on NHS funding and he will continue to make this argument until it happens.’

Rees-Mogg elected to lead influential Brexit group
As The Daily Telegraph reports, Jacob Rees-Mogg has been elected unopposed as Chair of the influential European Reform Group of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs. He said ‘As Chairman I intend to be helpful, vigorous and supportive towards Government policy of making a success of Brexit.’

Unprecedented life expectancy falls in some regions
The Times says that life expectancy has fallen by more than a year since 2011 in parts of the country, according to official figures. Theories for the fall include economic stagnation, cuts to services, rates of obesity, smoking and drinking, loneliness and lack of care. Experts say that the falls are unprecedented in peacetime and are urging ministers to investigate.

Do you need political insight? Learn more about Vuelio political services

The Ambient – a new publication for smart homes

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Paul Lamkin and James Stables have launched The Ambient, a new site dedicated to smart homes. A sister publication to Wareable, which covers wearable tech and the ‘connected self’, The Ambient will focus on smart home news and product reviews.

With lighting, speakers, thermostats and security now all part of the smart home, Lamkin and Stables believe now is the perfect time for a dedicated publication. And as 154 million European and American homes are expected to be smart by 2021, there’s a huge untapped market for smart home news.

We caught up with Paul Lamkin to talk about the launch and how The Ambient will work with PR and brands.

James Stables and Paul LamkinJames Stables and Paul Lamkin

Why have you decided to launch The Ambient now?
When we launched Wareable, we noticed that wearable tech wasn’t a clear focus for any of the other mainstream tech sites, so we decided to try and fill that gap and become the voice of authority for an emerging consumer-tech genre. It’s the same idea behind The Ambient – no one is giving the smart home the justice it deserves; it should be much more than just a note on the site.

How long will it take for smart homes to become the norm? 
I think they are already becoming the norm. The rise of smart speakers and assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Siri through Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant have proven themselves to be the missing link to truly smart homes.

What’s The Ambient’s relationship with Wareable?
For now, we’re keeping it pretty flexible. James (Stables), Sophie (Charara) and I are pretty much ‘full-time’ on The Ambient (while keeping an eye on Wareable), and the Wareable team will also be contributing to The Ambient (Michael Sawh and Connor Allison in the UK and Hugh Langley and Husain Sumra in the US). In a few months’ time, we’ll take stock and structure the teams a bit more formally.

What’s the editorial structure of The Ambient?
Sophie, as associate editor, is essentially running the show editorially, with James and I going back to being ‘writers’ for the first time in a few years.

What’s the expected audience of The Ambient?
We’re certainly looking at tech enthusiasts and early adopters but also users focused on outcomes and driven by design. Yes, they’re passionate about their home but no-one gets excited about a thermostat or a light bulb. This readership will be passionate about their home more so than the tech.

Our readers want to enjoy a smarter home and an easier life without compromises. They want to benefit from better and more enjoyable experiences in the home and impress their friends, without having to ruin the aesthetics of their home. Tech now goes hand-in-hand with great design.

Do you have any targets for traffic?
We grew Wareable from zero to a site that had a record month of almost five million unique users, so we certainly have a standard we want to achieve.

What content/pitches are you looking for from PRs/brands? 
We’re here to test and review the best gear on the market, explain how to get your smart home up and running and show you how to get the most from it. Therefore, we need to know, and be able to test, all the new devices hitting the market.

What’s the best way for PRs and brands to work with you?
Pitches over email work best and face-to-face briefings are also great. Also, take us out for beers. We like beers.

 

The Ambient and its editorial team are listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database along with thousands of other publications, journalists and influencers. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 16 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Carillion collapse, Labour MPs threatening to leave the party, the EU toughening up its Brexit position and Boris’ claim that £350m was too low.   

Carillion collapse raises questions
Yesterday’s collapse of Carillion dominates the headlines today. As the Financial Times reports, the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee is to open an inquiry into government sourcing; Labour has questioned why the firm continued to be awarded contracts after issuing a profit warning; and former pensions minister Steve Webb has questioned the company’s decision to continue to pay dividends. The paper also analyses the reasons for Carillion’s collapse, describing outsourcing as a ‘messy business with little margin for profit’, and Carillion as ‘a lawful sort of Ponzi scheme’.

Labour MPs threaten to leave party if deselected
The Times claims that moderate Labour MPs are threatening to quit the party if they are deselected, and would instead sit in the Commons as independents. Fears of deselection have been intensified by the victory of three Momentum candidates in elections of the party’s National Executive Committee, including the organisation’s founder Jon Lansman.

EU stance on transition period toughens, as Cabinet is split on future trade deal
The Financial Times reports that the EU has toughened up its conditions for a transition deal, including on free movement, maintaining trade agreements, and fishing quotas. The paper also has details of a split in the Cabinet over the direction of trade talks, with Philip Hammond favouring a ‘top-down’ approach and Boris Johnson a ‘bottom-up’ one.

Boris claims that £350m figure was actually too low
In an interview with The Guardian, Boris Johnson has suggested that the Vote Leave campaign’s claim that the EU costs the UK £350m a week was too low, and that the true figure is £438m. He told the paper that when the cash becomes available to spend ‘the NHS should be at the very top of the list.’ The paper says that the claim is ‘likely to provoke some remain supporters’.

Plight of the Rohingya people raised by select committee report
A report by the House of Commons International Development Committee raises concerns about the plight of Rohingya people being returned to Myanmar, as detailed by the BBC. The report calls the situation a ‘huge human tragedy’ and warns of ‘prospects of it becoming a powder keg of radicalisation’. While the report welcomes the Government’s plan, it says that it faces ‘substantial challenges’.

Select committee demands action on white goods electrical safety
The Guardian reports that the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has criticised the Government for being slow to overhaul ‘slow and poorly resourced’ safety procedures which led to 1m potentially dangerous tumble dryers being in use in the UK.

Explanations demanded over release of cancer data
According to The Daily Telegraph, ministers are seeking explanations from Public Health England over the decision to hand over medical data to a firm working to tobacco giant Philip Morris. The Commons Health Committee is due to question the body today, and its chair Sarah Wollaston said that she wanted to see evidence of ‘due diligence’.

Hard Brexit could cost Scotland £12.7bn a year
Analysis by the Scottish Government has found that Brexit would cost the Scottish economy £12.7bn a year, the BBC reports. Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, said that keeping single market membership would be ‘least damaging’, but the Scottish Conservatives dismissed the analysis as ‘completely over-the-top scaremongering’.

Want more political insight? Find out more about Vuelio political services

Hawaii missile

Hawaii missile alert due to drop-down menu

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The Emergency Alert that was accidentally sent to Hawaiians on Saturday was caused by two options on a drop-down menu being too close.

As part of the morning routine at Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HEMA), staff test the Emergency Alert system. As the Washington post reports, last Saturday’s error was caused by a staff member selecting ‘Missile alert’ from the computer programme’s drop down, rather than ‘Test missile alert’.

We’ve all clicked the wrong things at work and even sent emails in error, but this mistake was catastrophic. An alert went out to citizens and tourists, which said: ‘BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.’

Panic ensued, as thousands attempted to seek shelter and see loved ones. It wasn’t until 38 minutes later that the error was corrected (President Trump should have managed three holes on the course in that time).

Investigations into the error are ongoing. The Post reports a statement from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, who said: ‘Based on the information we have collected so far, it appears that the government of Hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards or process controls in place to prevent the transmission of a false alert.’

There are now new safeguards in place to correct and avoid similar blunders in future, including a cancellation option that can be triggered within seconds of a mistake. HEMA has also suspended internal drills until the investigation is over, and put a ‘two-person activation/verification rule’ for tests and real alerts.

Any system that allows a simple mistake to have such a devastating – and public – impact, is clearly one that needs fixing. Communications professionals know the importance of checking, and double checking, comms before they go out but this is a timely reminder to check the whole system’s set-up, something that can often be overlooked.

Of course, if HEMA had been using Vuelio, they could manage who in the team had permissions to send alerts and know, before any communications were sent, who was due to receive what.

Whether you work with the public or media professionals, find out how you can avoid system errors by using Vuelio.

The Guardian

Reaction: The Guardian’s new look and tabloid size

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The Guardian has been redesigned and its print edition is now tabloid format. As ever with change, the new look, masthead, colour scheme, font and size has divided the public, with some believing the it really works, while others think the Guardian has stepped back in time.

The redesign is part of an ongoing cost-cutting exercise at the paper, in an attempt to reduce significant losses; The Guardian plans to break even in 2018/19. As reported in Press Gazette, the new-look also spells the end of regular columns from Paul Mason, Deborah Orr and Giles Fraser.

The Guardian has, itself, curated reactions from the media industry, including The Daily Telegraph’s masthead now including ‘Britain’s biggest & best quality paper’, and The Sun’s ‘£1.50 less than tabloid Guardian’.

Over on Twitter, a big concern is that the redesign has made the paper too similar to other publications; whether that’s The Times’ Twitter profile pic:

Or the Evening Standard’s print edition:

And if this tweet is believed, the paper might be moving into a new line of doing ‘favours’:

 

Some have expressed concern of the practicalities of the size change now it’s smaller; including this letter from a ‘reader’:

And this cartoon:

 

For some, the lack of being able to customise the print experience is just too much:

 

The publisher has been praised for consistency across all mediums:

Though not all design choices are universally liked:

What do you think of The Guardian’s new look? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

No matter what it looks like, The Guardian is still listed in the Vuelio Media Database, along with all of its journalists and editors.

Politics on Sunday – 14 January 2018

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Sunday marked the 2018 return of all the usual political shows, which meant there was a plethora of guests being interviewed.

Alongside new Chair of the Conservative Party, Brandon Lewis and Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, Andrew Marr had guests coming from Holyrood and Hollywood with First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon and Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Emily Thornberry did very little to convince Donald Trump he would be welcome in the UK, labelling him ‘a racist’ and an ‘asteroid of awfulness’. The Shadow Foreign Secretary did not stop there, saying Theresa May had humiliated the Queen by inviting the President to the UK. Marr pulled Thornberry up on her remarks by saying this attitude could lead to it being harder for the UK to secure a trade deal with the US, but Thornberry responded by saying trade deals are complex processes and it would not depend on the pen of Donald Trump.

Marr finished the exchange by saying we do not know how long Trump will be around, it could be three more years or it could be until 2024, and greater diplomacy could go a long way. Thornberry also spoke on John Worboys, stating he is a ‘threat to women’, and previous rape cases have not been prosecuted properly despite improvements being made.

Brandon Lewis took a different approach to Thornberry by saying it was right for Trump to be invited and discussed how Britain should pursue its relationship with the US, declaring it a ‘very important relationship’. Lewis did condemn Trump’s alleged remarks where he is accused of referring to African Nations as ‘shithole’ countries.

Lewis was asked about abuse of politicians online, and he pledged a tough stance from the Conservatives, saying any candidates who personally abuse politicians online will be suspended. Marr asked Lewis whether he would apologise for the abuse Diane Abbott receives from Conservatives; he didn’t apologise but pledged the strong stance. Marr then moved onto questioning how the online presence of the Conservatives compares to that of the Labour Party who are generally perceived as being better. Lewis said the Conservatives will aim to get better in a respectful manner.

Marr also called the reaction to this tweet from the Tories about banning credit card charges, ‘slightly embarrassing’ as it showed the Conservatives taking credit for EU legislation. Lewis also spoke on the Worboys case letting us know he understands the outrage and how the Justice Secretary will be doing all he can to make sure Worboys remains behind bars.

Sturgeon on Brexit
The First Minister of Scotland was given a very different line of questioning, mainly focusing on how Brexit will impact Scotland. Sturgeon put forward her view that staying in the single market and the customs union would be the least harmful option. When asked whether she accepts that Scotland will be leaving the EU, Sturgeon said she wants an alternative and for the least damaging scenario to be the one that is followed. Marr questioned Sturgeon on whether the Scottish people are actively interested in Scotland becoming an independent country as it does not affect their day-to-day lives. Sturgeon argued back saying this is a misconception people have been making for her entire political life. She said it is not a ‘constitutional abstraction’ as independence is linked to the economy and living standards.

Robert Peston’s headline guests were Culture Secretary, Matt Hancock and Jeremy Corbyn. Hancock suggested the amendments made by the House of Lords last week on Leveson and press regulation could be the beginning of the end for democracy. Hancock was then asked about pay at the BBC and his remarks that men are being paid too much at the broadcaster. When Peston suggested this may just be an operation of the market the BBC operates in, Hancock rejected this by saying the BBC has a ‘special responsibility’ to act on equal pay due to the licence fee. Hancock went on to say he will be having discussions with the Director General of the BBC in the next few weeks about pay for stars. Like Lewis and Thornberry on Marr, Hancock was asked about John Worboys and said it is a positive step that the Ministry of Justice will be considering this case after questions were raised over the process.

Corbyn on Trump
Jeremy Corbyn let Peston know he was not disappointed by Donald Trump cancelling his visit to the UK but took a more measured view than Thornberry by saying he will eventually come. He faced questions on the Labour Party’s position on Brexit, where Corbyn made it clear the Party is not calling for a second referendum on the terms of the UK’s Brexit deal but instead a meaningful vote in Parliament. Peston noted that Corbyn was speaking in the present tense so he was not ruling out changing this position later. The Labour leader took issue with remarks Nicola Sturgeon (and some of his backbenchers) have been making by calling for the UK to join the single market, as for him, leaving the EU means leaving the single market.

Other points of note from Sunday’s shows were Chuka Umunna on Sunday with Niall Paterson, claiming the remarks made by Corbyn were wrong. More disagreement in the Labour Party could be seen when Barry Gardiner told Sunday Politics that he would not have used the same language John McDonnell used to describe Esther McVey after a video emerged of him quoting an activist who said she should be ‘lynched’.

UKIP Chairman, Paul Oakden also told the BBC that party leader Henry Bolton would have to make some tough decisions to make.

Check out our Canvas from Sunday’s political shows and learn how to make your own here.

Canvas

Great Monday

5 ways to combat Blue Monday

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Today is apparently the most depressing day of the year. Don’t let this Monday’s bad PR get you down, take a few minutes to work through our tip list and defeat Blue Monday.

Created by Sky Travel in a 2005, Blue Monday is the result of a pseudo equation that draws on factors such as weather (DON’T LOOK OUTSIDE), debt level, time since Christmas, time since failing New Year’s resolutions, motivational levels and the need to take action.

It’s obviously not true (unless you work in public comms in Hawaii and then it might), but to really stick it to Blue Monday, here are five things you can do now, to ensure an excellent day:

1. Contact PR pros you don’t work with
Plan a meet up, even if it’s just a quick coffee, with someone you normally ‘don’t have time’ to see. Spreading creativity, talking about the industry and sharing success stories is a great way to feel refreshed and invigorated.

 

2. Learn something new
Are you great at pitching but struggle with analysis? Maybe you love the high pressure world of fire-fighting issues but think writing press releases is mundane? Pick something you know you could improve and learn more about it. Whether you talk to a colleague who has more experience or book a full training course to become expert, finish the day smarter than you started.

 

3. Agency? Research new clients
You do this anyway, but why not take 10 minutes as a team to quickly find potential clients. When the 10 minutes are up, pitch them to each other and decide if any of them deserve more work. The short time limit will boost your energy and sharpen your focus for other projects.

 

4. In house? Create a new campaign
As a team, spend 10 minutes creating new ideas for campaigns – and no idea is a bad idea. At the end of the 10 minutes, agree on the best and whether it needs more work. It’s a great way to bond with your team and get the creative juices flowing.

 

5. Build one new relationship
You have your media contacts, you know which journalists and bloggers are most receptive to your brand and message – but there are always more. The Vuelio Media Database lists thousands of potential media partners for you; search, find someone new, check their contact preferences and strike up a conversation. Maybe you can pitch them a new campaign or maybe they can cover an existing project, either way it’s time to grow your network.

How are you going to combat Blue Monday? Got any tips? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 15 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including questions over Carillion’s liquidation, on-the-spot fines for hiring fly-tippers, scrapping the immigration target and Penny Mordaunt addressing ‘public concerns’ about aid spending.   

Carillion enters liquidation as ministers face questions
Construction firm and public sector contractor Carillion collapsed into liquidation this morning, following talks with its lenders and the Government. The Times says that ministers, including Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, are facing questions over their decision to continue to award the firm contracts while it issued a series of profit warnings. The Government is the firm’s biggest client, paying it around £1.7bn a year.

£400 on-the-spot fines for householders who fail to stop fly-tipping
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Government is considering giving councils the power to issue £400 on-the-spot fines to householders who do not check if a business is licensed to transport waste, if it ends up being fly-tipped. The paper says, ‘the move is likely to spark fears that the fines could be abused and used as a way of generating income for cash-strapped councils.’

Immigration target should be scrapped, select committee says
An article in the Financial Times says the Home Affairs Select Committee has released a report calling on the Government to scrap its immigration target, replacing it with a three-year plan set out and overseen by the independent Migration Advisory Committee

Mordaunt pledges to address public concerns about aid spending
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt makes five pledges which will ensure that money spent on foreign aid cannot be ‘better spent’, including to ‘not invest when others should be putting their hands in their pockets’ and that ‘our focus will increasingly be on helping developing countries stand on their own feet’.

Sexual harassment – Guardian
The House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee is to launch a formal inquiry into the laws around sexual harassment, The Guardian claims. The committee’s chair, Maria Miller, told the newspaper, ‘I think it’s clear that the current system is broken’, while Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary, said, ‘The government has removed protections from women and they have made it harder for women to get justice.’

Andrea Leadsom describes John McDonnell as ‘truly evil’
Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, has described Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell as ‘truly evil’, The Daily Telegraph says. The remarks come in the context of a dispute over comments he made in 2014 and 2015 about the new Work and Pensions Secretary, Esther McVey. Asked about the remarks, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, ‘I would rather stick to where I disagree with somebody on their policies.’

UK and France in danger of drifting apart
Lord Ricketts, UK ambassador to France from 2012 to 2016, has warned that the two countries are in danger of drifting further apart. The Guardian reports that the claim is contained in a report for the Royal United Services Institute. Ricketts says that co-operation has ‘become even closer in response to recent terrorist attacks. It is crucial that Brexit does not adversely affect this.’

British favour ‘European-style market economy’, Hammond says
The Times has details of an interview with Philip Hammond by the German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag. He said the British, ‘have a strong attachment to a European-style market economy’, that the UK wanted certainty on the transition period before the European Council summit on March 22, and there would be no deal that did not include services.

Want more political insight? Get Vuelio political services

12 January

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 12 January 2018

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This week’s Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed from the world of media, PR and comms includes YouTube’s response to Logan Paul, Facebook’s news feed changing, Steve Bannon, the Daily Mail and Virgin Trains argument, and Carrie Gracie’s BBC pay row. 

 

1. YouTube and Logan Paul

YouTube has apologised for taking so long to officially respond to the Logan Paul controversy of last week. The video-sharing platform posted an explanation on Twitter, claiming it was upset with the video Logan Paul had posted. It finished the thread with:

 

The ‘further consequences’ were later revealed, when YouTube announced it had cut some business ties with the viral star. This includes removing Logan Paul from its Google Preferred programme, the platform that allows brands to sell ads to the top 5% of content creators – which is likely to severely damage Logan Paul’s sizeable income. They’ve also put original projects with Logan Paul, including a proposed film, on hold.

Further details about the steps YouTube is taking to ensure ‘videos like this’ never circulate again are yet to materialise, but the YouTube community will be keeping a close eye on any policy or algorithm changes.

 

2. Facebook to change news feed

Facebook news feed changes

Mark Zuckerberg has announced the news feed algorithm is to change, with more focus on friends and family posts and less on those from businesses, brands and media. This is after feedback that the latter group is ‘crowding out the personal moments that leads us to connect more with each other’.

In Zuckerberg’s lengthy post on the decision, he says: ‘We feel a responsibility to make sure our services aren’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being. So we’ve studied this trend carefully by looking at the academic research and doing our own research with leading experts at universities. The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people we care about, it can be good for our well-being.’

The move from ‘focusing on helping you find relevant content’, to ‘helping you have more meaningful social interactions’ is very much going back to Facebook’s roots. The social platform was, for many years, primarily focused on posts from people you knew rather than promoting itself as one of the biggest content delivery platforms in the world. This change is likely to hit thousands of publishers very hard, as for many sites, Facebook is the biggest single source of traffic. The announcement has led to a drop in Facebook’s share price when markets opened. If the plan is properly followed through, expect corporate backlash, businesses closing down and huge changes to the media landscape.

 

3. Sloppy Steve

Perhaps it’s a rite of passage for all of Trump’s ‘enemies’ – once they get a nickname, they know they’ve really riled him. Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist, “Sloppy” Steve Bannon, was this week fired from his role at the helm of Breitbart News. It is the latest part of his tumultuous relationship with Trump and his supporters, from genius insider to detractor and traitor. After his comments about Donald Trump Jnr’s ‘treasonous’ meeting with Russian contacts appeared in Michael Wolff’s explosive book, Bannon’s departure from Breitbart seemed inevitable. Trump was quick to distance himself from his former ally, before laying into him:

 

 

4. Daily Mail attacks Virgin

Daily mail row

It was revealed this week that Virgin Trains has stopped selling the Daily Mail due to its incompatibility with the Virgin Trains brand. The company stopped carrying the paper back in November, but at the time it told the Daily Mail it was ‘saving space’ by selling only three papers: the Mirror, FT and Times.

Drew McMillan, head of colleague communication and engagement at Virgin, sent internal staff a memo that said: ‘Thousands of people choose to read the Daily Mail every day. But they will no longer be reading it courtesy of VT. There’s been considerable concern raised by colleagues about the Mail’s editorial position on issues such as immigration, LGBT rights and unemployment.

‘We’ve decided that this paper is not compatible with the VT brand and our beliefs.’

The Daily Mail struck back; a spokesman said: ‘It is disgraceful that, at a time of massive customer dissatisfaction over ever-increasing rail fares, and after the taxpayer was forced to bail out Virgin’s East Coast mainline franchise, a decision strongly criticised by the Mail, that Virgin Trains should now announce that for political reasons it is censoring the choice of newspapers it offers to passengers.

‘It is equally rich that Virgin chose to launch this attack on free speech in the Aslef trade union journal. For the record Virgin used to sell only 70 Daily Mails a day.’

They then made the issue about Brexit, as the spokesman continued with: ‘They informed us last November that to save space, they were restricting sales to just three newspapers: the Mirror, FT and Times. They gave no other reason, but it may be no coincidence that all those titles, like Virgin owner Sir Richard Branson, are pro-Remain.’

Critics of Virgin’s move suggest the company is censoring ‘free press’ whereas supporters believe the company is well within its rights to choose which publications it sells to its customers.

 

5. Carrie Gracie and the BBC pay row

BBC

Carrie Gracie stepped down from her role as China editor at the BBC this week, after accusing the public broadcaster of ‘breaking equality law’ and ‘resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure’. She highlights an ongoing struggle to be paid equally to the other international editors, particularly John Sopel, US editor, and Jeremy Bowen, Middle East editor. Her struggles proved fruitless so she’s quit her post and will return to the UK newsroom.

Gracie made the announcement hours before she was due to host the Today programme, which she has done all week. In a plot worthy of W1A, Gracie was unable to talk about her own news story, due to impartiality rules, and so couldn’t cover the biggest story of the day. Other journalists who had expressed support for Gracie were also banned from discussing the issue on air.

In a further twist, it has now been revealed that John Humphreys and John Sopel were recorded discussing the story off air, and Humphreys made several derogatory remarks including: ‘I could save you the trouble as I could volunteer that I’ve handed over already more than you f***ing earn but I’m still left with more than anybody else and that seems to me to be entirely just – something like that would do it?’

This might not be the last time we see Mr Humphreys in Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 12 January 2018

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Trump cancelling his visit to the UK, Nigel Farage’s second Brexit referendum, Government ordering illegal migrants’ accounts to be closed, and a threat to the Royal Marines and paratroopers. 

Trump cancels UK visit
This morning’s Daily Mail revealed that President Trump has cancelled his visit to the UK. He was expected to visit next month, but has not offered a new date. According to a senior source, Trump cancelled ‘because he was unhappy about the arrangements and the scale of the visit’. However, he tweeted last night that he cancelled the trip because he was unhappy with the deal that led to the new embassy being built.

Nigel Farage floats the possibility of a second Brexit referendum
The Guardian reports that Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader, told Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff that ‘maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership’ in order to kill off arguments about Brexit. In this morning’s Daily Telegraph, Farage rows back on this stance, claiming instead that he is ‘beginning to fear that a second plebiscite may well happen anyway.’

Government to order banks to close illegal migrants’ accounts
The Daily Telegraph says that the Government is to hand banks a list of illegal migrants suspected of hiding in the country, and order that their accounts be closed. New immigration minister Caroline Noakes argues in the paper that innocent people have nothing to fear.

Merger threat to Royal Marines and paratroopers
According to The Times, defence secretary Gavin Williamson has been presented with three sets of defence cuts, cutting armed forces numbers by more than 14,000 and combining paratrooper units and the Royal Marines in order to save money. The cuts could leave the armed forces with fewer troops than at any point since the Napoleonic era.

Crisis talks held over Carillion
The Financial Times reports that senior Government ministers including David Lidington (Cabinet Office minister), Greg Clark (business secretary), Jo Johnson (transport minister), Liz Truss (chief secretary to the Treasury) and Rory Stewart (justice minister), as well as ministers from five other departments, met yesterday for talks about the future of Carillion, a major Government contractor that the paper says is ‘close to collapse’.

Theresa May meets financial leaders, whilst EU ambassadors debate transition extension
Details of a meeting between Theresa May and representatives of the financial services sector are reported in the Financial Times. She said that financial services would be ‘at the heart’ of a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU. However, The Times says that Downing Street has disputed Philip Hammond’s suggestion that the UK could keep paying into the EU budget after Brexit in exchange for privileged access for British banks to the EU market. Separately, the Financial Times also claims that EU ambassadors have begun debating whether the transition period can be extended and, if so, what price should be attached.

Chris Williamson resigns as shadow fire minister
Chris Williamson, Labour’s shadow fire minister, has resigned after he said that council tax should be doubled on high-value homes. The Guardian says that Williamson is now ‘expected to act as a leftwing outrider for the Labour leader from the backbenches’ and that Jeremy Corbyn is expected to announce a series of junior frontbench appointments today.

Peter Bone leaves wife for physio
The Sun’s front page story today is that Tory backbencher Peter Bone, famous for mentioning his wife in Parliament, has left her for a married physiotherapist and former Conservative candidate, Helen Harrison.

Want more political insight? Get Vuelio political services

Judicial Office

Lords vote for second stage of Leveson

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The House of Lords last night defeated the Government after Baroness Hollins tabled an amendment to the Data Protection Bill pushing for the second stage of the Leveson inquiry.

The second part of the Leveson inquiry was originally intended to address: ‘The extent of unlawful or improper conduct within News International, other media organisations or other organisations. It will also consider the extent to which any relevant police force investigated allegations relating to News International, and whether the police received corrupt payments or were otherwise complicit in misconduct.’

As the amendments arose as part of the new data protection bill – part of GDPR in the EU – it is now intended that the second phase should particularly focus on data breaches made by the press.

This is in contrast to the first part, which looked at the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

The second stage was dropped from the Conservative manifesto in the election last year, as the party claimed the first stage had been sufficiently comprehensive. As reported in the BBC, the Conservatives also believed the criminal investigations that might arise from stage two had already occurred as a result of stage one.

Crossbench peer Baroness Hollins wasn’t satisfied with this and claimed victims of crime were ‘promised’ a second phase of inquiry and it should be honoured as a matter of ‘good faith’. The vote backed her amendment by 238 to 209.

The Government’s new culture secretary, Matt Hancock said the Lords had voted to ‘restrict press freedoms’. In a tweet, he goes on to say, ‘This vote will undermine high quality journalism, fail to resolve challenges the media face and is a hammer blow to local press. We support a free press and will seek to overturn these amendments in the Commons’.

The Lords also voted in favour for another measure – one which would force newspapers not signed up to the regulator to pay both sides’ legal costs in any court cases of data protection breaches, no matter the outcome of the case. This measure could arguably hit local newspapers hard, if any cases were to be brought against them.

The amendments will now make their way back to Parliament, where they are likely to be overturned by the Government. Previous proposed press reforms have struggled in the Commons – and the press’s relationship with the Government was a big part of the first stage of the Leveson inquiry – whereas the unelected Lords typically take a harder line.