PLMR’s Joe Mitton gives his rundown of the Tory Conference and the PM’s keynote speech

Vuelio Political Services teamed up with integrated communications agency PLMR to bring you the top news and analysis from the Conservative Party Conference 2017.

Read what Joe Mitton, Senior Consultant at PLMR, thought were the key takeaways from what was an eventful Conference.

The Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this week (1-4 October) sought to heal the divisions of the disappointing general election result for the Party, and to articulate an optimistic alternative to the unexpectedly popular vision of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.  For a party in government, it is a somewhat strange position to be in; having to construct an alternative to the Opposition’s narrative.

Many speakers, including the Chancellor Philip Hammond, focussed on the need to promote once again the benefits of a free market economy.  Hammond reminded the party faithful that most of the electorate is too young to remember the economic difficulties of the 1970s.  Other MPs made passionate cases for market-led economic growth, so it was interesting that the final speech of the conference by the Prime Minister revived her plan for a retail energy price cap.

Prime Minister’s Speech: Social mobility and the ‘British Dream’

Theresa May addressed the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today (4 October).  While much of the more frothy commentary will focus on the croaky delivery and the rather pointless interrupting prankster, we thought it more useful to look at the policy content and the vision that the Prime Minister articulated.

May repeatedly referenced “the British Dream” – a “dream that life should be better for the next generation”.  This appears to be partly a call for social mobility, and partly an affirmation of progressive, ongoing economic growth and personal attainment.

It remains to be seen whether this vision will have much traction with voters, especially the young, who face daunting house prices and virtually non-existent real wage growth. With only passing mention to Jeremy Corbyn, the central theme in May’s speech of a “British Dream” seems designed to provide an optimistic counter-narrative to the bold promises with which Corbyn’s Labour has successfully attracted new voters.  Which of these visions prevails may well be the defining political question of the next five years in British politics.

In an effort to bring a sense of authenticity and conviction to her vision, Ms May somewhat uncharacteristically spoke about her own family background and her grandmother’s job as a domestic servant.  She also spoke of her own health issues and treatment by the NHS.  May emphasised social justice and recognised, in several anecdotes and points, that she understands that minority ethnic communities still face significant inequalities.  She said that she got into politics to address precisely these kinds of injustices.

The main new policy announcement was that the government would seek to cap household energy bills – which came as a surprise to many at the Conference who had assumed that that policy had been quietly shelved after the last general election. Energy companies came in for some quite sharp criticism in Ms May’s speech, and it seems now likely that an energy price cap of some kind will indeed be introduced this parliament, with the Opposition very unlikely to block such a popular move.

The Prime Minister also announced £2 billion more for new social housing.  This, alongside earlier announcements of a university tuition fee freeze and £10 billion in additional Help to Buy funding, is part of a broader pitch by the Conservatives’ to address the issues facing ordinary working people.

The test will be whether Ms May’s vision resonates with the public as authentic, deliverable and inspiring, or whether public life and media commentary continues to focus merely on stunts, gaffes and personality cults.

ABOUT PLMR

Founded in 2006, PLMR is a fully integrated communications agency with offices in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Cambridge. They work across all sectors, from transport and technology to education and energy, expertly offering a suite of key communications services: public affairs, PR, crisis management, media training, digital, film and design, planning communications and campaigns.

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Conservative Party Conference – Final Day

As the Conservative Party Conference comes to a close, Theresa May has been handed a P45, Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls to resign and Jacob Rees-Mogg has come face to face with protestors crashing his fringe event. With surprise appearances from Katie Hopkins and Bear Grylls, not to mention the usual smattering of eggs thrown at delegates, this year’s conference has been one to remember.

With so much to keep up with during the four-day conference, our political team has summed up all the speeches, influencer reaction and key fringe events for you, in one place.

Take a look at the biggest stories from this year’s Conservative Party Conference on the Vuelio Canvas > >

CPC2017 Canvas Final Day Blog

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Conservative Party Conference – 2nd Day

The Conservative Party Conference is now underway and the highlights so far include Chancellor Philip Hammond announcing an extra £300m of funding for rail infrastructure in the North, Environment Secretary Michael Gove announcing the Government will increase the sentences for those who are found guilty of animal cruelty and Universal Credit being rolled out as originally proposed with more advance payments becoming available.

Have you missed something from Conference? Check out our Canvas below, which brings together all the biggest stories from this year’s #CPC2017 conference.

And if you want daily updates for the Conservative party conference, including key speech summaries and fringe event round-ups, sign up to receive our email alert here.

The Business Hub

The Business Hub at the Conservative Party Conference

Vuelio is continuing its presence at the major party conferences as the official Monitoring & Intelligence Partner of PLMR’s Business Hub at the Conservative Party Conference, from 1-4 October.

The Business Hub is also partnered by London City Airport, the Daily Telegraph and Costa Coffee, as PLMR creates an exciting and engaging environment in which to meet and do business.

The Hub will provide a work, meeting and refreshment space for high-level political and business attendees that includes the CEOs of the FTSE 250, journalists and political dignitaries. It will be spearheaded by former advisor to Boris Johnson, Joe Mitton; former Crown Estate advisor recently seconded to the Conservative Party General Election campaign, Nicolas Clark; former Conservative Party Staffer, Francesca Dobson; and PLMR Events Manager, Felicity Fisher.

The Business Hub’s morning and evening events include panel debates, Q&As and receptions across aviation, the care sector, skills and Brexit. The Daily Telegraph’s Christopher Hope will record his popular Chopper’s Brexit Podcast from the Hub and London City Airport’s Business Reception will be an event highlight as an integrated part of the Conservative Party’s Business Day.

Vuelio is not only providing phone charging points for The Business Hub – to ensure delegates can keep connected and concentrate on their communications – but delegates will also have access to our expert reports so they can experience more of the Conference than is physically possible.

Elin De Zoete, managing director of PLMR, said: ‘Against the backdrop of Brexit and the 2017 General Election, this year’s Conservative Party Conference will be particularly important for many if not most, industries.

‘The party conferences offer a unique opportunity to deliver a company’s engagement priorities with political decision-makers, particularly following the new intake of Members of Parliament, and PLMR is on hand to help our clients to build both lasting and beneficial relationships’.

Joanna Arnold, CEO of Vuelio, said: ‘We’re delighted to partner PLMR’s Business Hub and provide our political intelligence to Conference guests. At Vuelio, we’re all about communications so we’ll use our presence at the Conference to ensure delegates are successfully managing theirs.’

Vuelio has been providing free daily reports, directly to inboxes, across the Conference season and the Conservative Party Conference is the next event we’ll be covering. You can sign up to receive our political team’s updates by clicking here.

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 29 September 2017

Taking a brief hiatus from our podcast (and reverting to old-fashioned reading), we present five things you shouldn’t have missed from the worlds of media, marketing and communications.

1. Labour Party Conference

Labour Party Conference 2017

The Opposition party’s conference produced a plethora of headlines, from Emily Thornberry’s attack on Boris Johnson to John McDonnell’s pledge to bring PFI contracts in-house. Reports from the official four-day event also included the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg being given a bodyguard after receiving online abuse; the party tackling antisemitism in the party with new, stricter rules; the party’s position on the Single Market being debated by all sides; and Jeremy Corbyn’s closing speech calling Labour the ‘government-in-waiting’.

If you missed anything from Conference, you can see all of the biggest stories on this Vuelio Canvas. And, if you want daily updates from the Conservative Party Conference directly to your inbox – sign up here.

2 . Uber’s London licence

uber

Transport for London announced it would not renew Uber’s private hire operator licence after 30 September. They claimed the operator wasn’t safe or up to the required standard for the licence. The firm immediately vowed to fight the decision on appeal, which buys them time past the 30 September deadline. The ban has caused outrage among Uber’s 3.5 million London users and 40,000 drivers, many signing Uber’s petition against the decision.

Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi published a letter in the Evening Standard apologising for the mistakes they’ve made, Sadiq Khan claimed people should direct their anger at Uber rather than TfL, and reports emerged that two of the four reasons TfL gave for revoking the licence are actually its own responsibilities. With Prime minister Theresa May also now part of the story, calling the ban ‘disproportionate’, expect this one to keep going.

3. Twitter Trials Longer Tweets

Twitter bird

A small group of Twitter users are now testing double-length tweets. If the test is considered a success by the social network, then 280-character messages will be rolled out across the platform. Jack Dorsey announced the decision in a what was considered by some to be a verbose tweet.

Twitter, in true Twitter style, panicked at the idea of change and then made it all a big joke:

4. Hugh Hefner dies

Hugh Hefner

The founder of what became the media empire Playboy, died this week aged 91. At its height, Playboy Magazine sold seven million copies a month but in later years its content model has struggled to keep up with the internet. Opinions are divided on the man, with some calling him a legend who sexually liberated America and supported LGBT and civil rights, while others saw him as a misogynistic user of women.

You can make your own minds up.

5. IMPRESS bans board members

British newspapers

The royal charter-backed press regulator IMPRESS has banned its chief executive and three board members from dealings with major newspapers. After the press ran their own investigations, IMPRESS published a report largely agreeing that Jonathan Heawood, Emma Jones, Maire Messenger Davies and Martin Hickman, had all taken positions that could create perceptions of bias against the press – from positive views of campaign group Hacked Off to retweeting negative messages about certain papers and publishers.

IMPRESS has no members that are considered major newspapers so the ban is, at the moment, somewhat moot. Though if the Government enacts Section 40, which will require all papers to join a royal charter-backed regulator or face heavy penalties, then this story could become huge.

Something we’ve missed? Let us know on Twitter on in the comments below. 

Labour Party Conference – Final Day

The Labour Party Conference is coming to a close for 2017, with a huge number of headlines generated from the four-day event.

The Single Market was the key focus early on but has since been joined by John McDonnell’s pledge to bring PFI Contracts in house, Emily Thornberry’s BoJo criticisms, the party tackling antisemitism, and Jeremy Corbyn’s speech in which he said Labour were the ‘government-in-waiting’.

The mood today was buoyant, with several minutes of ‘the Jeremy Corbyn song’ welcoming the opposition leader to the stage before his speech began.

He closed with the words: ‘Labour can and will deliver a Britain for the many not just the few’.

Have you missed something from Conference? Check out our Canvas below, which brings together all the biggest stories from this year’s #Lab17 conference.

And if you want daily updates for the Conservative party conference, including key speech summaries and fringe event round-ups, sign up to receive our email alert by clicking here.

Labour conference day 4

Labour Party Conference – Day Two

Vuelio’s political services team is at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton to bring you all the latest news. 

Day two has been dominated by discussions about the party’s position on the UK’s membership of the European Single Market. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he would like the UK to remain permanently in the single market. John McDonnell said the party needs to make sure it takes into account the concerns of those who voted to leave.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry aimed parts of her speech at Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, claiming that Johnson should take a ‘paternity test’ to see the true origin of the arguments and false claims surrounding Brexit.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said this is a tragic moment for the Government, and it does not have the strength to govern. Starmer’s speech also picked on Johnson – he was listed alongside David Cameron and Theresa May – the ‘authors’ of the ‘Brexit tragedy’. Starmer touched upon the subject of the day, saying that Labour could keep the UK in a reformed single market and a form of customs union.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell delivered the keynote speech and will have made headlines with his pledge to end new Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts and bring existing contracts back ‘in-house’. McDonnell also said that he would attempt to introduce a cap on the interest payments on credit cards.

Don’t want to miss anything from Conference? Make sure you’re signed up to the Daily Updates

The biggest stories of the day are available on our Day Two Canvas – click here to see the Canvas in full.

Day 2 labour party conference

Lib Dem conference summary

The Liberal Democrat conference today came to a close, with the final Vuelio conference bulletin covering all the highlights from the fourth and final day.

The top action from today includes the party’s latest Brexit-related motion; Norman Lamb’s speech and Vince Cable’s rousing conference close.

This final speech from the party’s leader cautioned against the Lib Dems being seen as ‘UKIP in reverse’. Wrapping up four days of Lib Dem activity, he asked activists to join him in taking ‘the Liberal Democrats back to Government’.

Vuelio’s Political Services team has collated all the main stories from the major news outlets, including the Guardian, Mirror and Express, as well as top influencers on social media. They are available all in one place on our special Lib Dem conference canvas.

If you think you’ve been missing out, and you want to make sure you receive daily updates for the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences – sign up to receive our special alerts directly to your inbox.

Lib dem canvas

Brexit bulletin

Brexit Bulletin Breakdown

The latest Brexit Bulletin from Vuelio covers all the recent updates from the Brexit process – sign up to receive the fortnightly political update here.

The week’s bulletin includes a detailed analysis of the following key events:

  • David Davis has updated Parliament on the third round of talks after Parliament returned from its summer recess
  • The European Union (Withdrawal Bill) second reading was voted through Parliament with 157 amendments
  • Lords Constitution Committee has published an interim report on the European Withdrawal Bill
  • Former Prime Minister Tony Blair intervened in the debate around Brexit pointing towards a way in which the UK can stay in the single market and control immigration
  • The Home Office has faced an embarrassing leak of its post-Brexit immigration policy
  • The Government published two position papers – one on science and technology, and the other on foreign policy and defence

The Brexit Bulletin also includes a detailed timeline of future events, the immediate activities around Brexit that are most likely to shape the conversation and a comprehensive stakeholder digest with all the Brexit-related news.

Vuelio’s Brexit Bulletin is a one-stop-shop for keeping on top of everything Brexit. Don’t waste time during Brexit – stay in the know with everything that’s important to you.

The Vuelio Political Team will also be reporting from the major party conferences – find out more here.

 

Vuelio Brexit Bulletin, 21st July

As Brexit negotiations continue this week, we bring you the latest news, developments and stakeholder reaction in our Brexit Bulletin.  The stakeholder community takes center stage this week, as the Government seeks to engage with business leaders voicing concerns over an uncertain future. 

  • The second round of negations have kicked off this week. While attention was initially focussed on David Davis’ lack of briefing notes at a photo opportunity on Monday, the real hurdle now seems to be a lack of detail around key issues.
  • The Cabinet continues to show division: after a week of leaks focussing on Phillip Hammond, key figures in the Conservative party are calling for unity, or as Michael Fallon has put it, ‘’military discipline’’.
  • One area the Cabinet has agreed on is that of a ‘transitional period’. While the exact time frame is yet to be decided, both the Times and the Guardian have suggested this could include a continuation of freedom of movement, leaving open the possibility of free market access as well.

Want the full bulletin? Sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here. 

Vuelio Brexit Bulletin, 14th July

With Brexit negotiations set to continue on Monday, Vuelio has launched a fortnightly Brexit Bulletin. We’ll cover policy developments, negotiation proceedings and the global media’s take on events – cutting through the noise with an unbiased overview of the latest information. 

This week, the Government has published what used to be called the Great Repeal Bill; the National Audit Office has criticised the Government’s Brexit approach; and a cross-party rebellion over Euratom has picked up momentum.

  • The Government is showing signs of a change in mood after the general election, with more focus on the negative aspects of Brexit – although Boris Johnson’s insistence that the bloc could ‘go whistle’ over the final exit bill suggests this change may not be substantial.
  • On Tuesday, David Davis MP appeared in front of the House of Lords’ EU Select Committee, making headlines with his claim that, ‘I do not think anybody is likely to follow us down this route’.
  • Theresa May faces stiff opposition from Wales and Scotland over the repeal bill – Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones have issued a joint statement calling it ’a naked power grab, an attack on the founding principles of devolution [which] could destabilise our economies.’

Want the full bulletin? Sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here. 

What do you need to know about the new select committee chairs?

The Chairs of the House of Commons Select Committees were elected on Wednesday and these MPs will now guide their respective Committees over the coming parliament. But what do Select Committees do, and why are they important?

Purpose

First and foremost, select committees scrutinise the work of the Government. They focus on three main aspects in this respect: finance, policy and administration. Departmental committees will have at least 11 members who will choose subjects for inquiries, whose evidence will form a report to be presented to the House of Commons and made public.

Composition

The balance of Committee chairs reflects the split of seats in the House of Commons, and which committee is chaired by who can be negotiated by party whips, depending on which policy area the party is most interested in. When Committee chairs are elected the alternative vote system is used, with every MP given a vote on every chair. In the event only one MP is nominated, they will be elected unopposed. For the remaining members of the select committee, the number of seats allocated to each party is also arranged to reflect the split of seats in the House of Commons.

Democratic progress

Select Committees provide a large amount of information to Parliament and can reveal information that would otherwise have simply been the subject of speculation. The more consensual nature of Select Committees also allows more progress to be made when investigating. Only the Crown (this includes the Government), MPs and Lords are exempt from appearing before evidence sessions, so they can take evidence from almost every section of society and draw upon a wide range of expertise.

Select Committees have grown in publicity and influence in recent years. Rupert Murdoch and Philip Green have both made headlines whilst giving evidence, with sessions often gathering far more publicity than PMQs or parliamentary questions. Submitting evidence, either in person or as part of a committee report, can be a powerful way for an organisation to argue for new legislation, changes in policy, or investment in projects. Committee chairs are often seen as more powerful than junior ministers, and have a high profile media presence which means they’re frequently asked to comment on stories.

We’ve picked our top picks of the newly elected chairs – download our infographic now to find out more.

 

Select Committees Infographic - Vuelio

 

 

Brexit – what’s next?

With the Repeal Bill scheduled to be published on Thursday and EU negotiations continuing on the following Monday, there’s going to be a lot of Brexit related noise in the media and online.

That’s why Vuelio is creating a non-partisan, unbiased Brexit Briefing. Every fortnight, we’ll cover key players, the latest negotiation proceedings and what it all means for the stakeholder community. To put it simply, we’re hoping to provide some clarity during what is an uncertain time.

The first copy will be sent out on Friday – sign up to Vuelio Political Updates to receive yours.

Queen’s Speech: A Day of Firsts

Yesterday, the Queen’s Speech, a key date in the parliamentary diary, set out the Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead. Theresa May was forced to face the Speech without the guaranteed backing of the Democratic Unionist Party, ten days after her announcement of a deal.

It is the first time since 1978 that a government without a majority has presented their agenda in the Queen’s Speech. It was also the first time that a government had proposed an agenda over two years instead of one.

Expectedly, the legislative programme was dominated by measures on the UK’s exit from the European Union, including bills on immigration, customs and trade arrangements. However, after the Tories threw away their majority in the unnecessary snap election, the position from which their Brexit plans were presented was far from one of strength.

More noteworthy was what was not mentioned in the Speech, the Tories having scrapped several key manifesto pledges, including capping energy bills for pensioners, introducing the “dementia tax” to fund social care, bringing back grammar schools and legalising fox hunting. As members of Parliament are elected on their party’s manifesto, the legitimacy of May’s government is now being questioned even further.

The programme has been characterised by the opposition as “threadbare”, a symbol of May’s weak government. Indeed, the meagreness of the government’s agenda was demonstrated through greater interest in the Queen’s hat. Other people chose to highlight May’s defeated demeanour in comparison to Jeremy Corbyn, such as Labour MP Toby Perkins’ remark “Has she shrunk or has he grown?”.

Six days have now been set aside for the contents of the Speech to be debated in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. May needs all her own MPs to support her programme as well as eight additional MPs. At present, the Tories have still not reached an agreement with the DUP.

Want to know more? Download your copy of the Queen’s Speech: Summary, Analysis and Reaction.

Engaging with new MPs after #GE2017

So, on the 8th of June, there’ll be some brand new faces sitting in Westminster. Knowing who they are, their political interests and, most importantly, the best way to engage with them is crucial to the success of your public affairs strategy in the coming parliament.

GE2017_WEBINAR

If you want to keep ahead of the game why not tune into our upcoming webinar ‘’Engaging with new MPs after #GE2017’’ for a complete guide to identifying, engaging and influencing the new MP intake which takes place on Tuesday 20 June at 11:00 am BST.

During the webinar we’ll be covering everything from:

  • Identifying the right MPs to engage with based on their political interests, such as select committee membership.
  • Access over 4,000 political contacts including MPs’ staff– the most effective way of reaching MPs.
  • Achieving ROI on your engagement with email tracking and comprehensive reports that measure the success of your campaigns.

Save your spot now on our up and coming webinar to see how our political database can help you!

Vuelio General Election Briefing 5th June

Sadly, our election briefing again starts with news that campaigning was suspended owing to a terrorist attack. This suspension was relatively brief: perhaps due to the proximity to polling day, perhaps due to the sense that the attack was targeted at the election itself and that the best way of demonstrating resilience was for campaigning to resume as soon as possible. What this means in terms of the election is that the focus remains firmly on security. 

Here’s a quick summary of what happened last week:

  • YouGov published a poll that shows we are heading towards a hung parliament, per YouGov the Conservatives will be 16 seats short of a majority.
  • Both leaders struggled in the leaders’ Question Time, with Theresa May falling short of a convincing answer about nurses’ pay. Jeremy Corbyn came under tough questioning (again) relating to his views on nuclear weapons.
  • Jeremy Corbyn made a surprise appearance at the leaders’ debate which Theresa May didn’t take part in, sending Amber Rudd in her place. As we can see from social media mentions of Theresa May during the debate below, her absence was very much noted online:

 

theresa may q time

Sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here to receive the full General Election Briefing

Vuelio General Election Briefing 30th May

Despite the election campaign being suspended for a few days as a mark of respect to the victims of the attack in Manchester, it’s been an eventful week on the election campaign trail. With UKIP’s manifesto launch on Thursday, May’s ‘dementia tax’ U-turn and Paxman interviews with May and Corbyn, there’s a lot to catch up on.

Here’s a quick summary of what happened:

  • The polls have narrowed in the wake of the so-called ‘dementia tax’, with Labour closing the gaps on the Conservatives – but still several percent behind
  • In the wake of the Manchester attack, attention has moved to security – an area where both Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May have weaknesses which the parties will be hoping to exploit
  • Last night, both Corbyn and May appeared on television, answering questions from voters and Jeremy Paxman
  • UKIP’s manifesto was launched on Thursday, and as the graph below shows, this gathered around 550,000 mentions on social media. While it firmly positioned itself as the party to vote for to avoid compromise over Brexit, there was also dismay online over UKIP’s pledge to ban the burka due to their impact on Vitamin D levels.

 

ukip

Sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here to receive the full General Election Briefing

Vuelio General Election Manifestos Infographic

We’ve updated our Manifesto Infographic with the key policies from UKIP’s manifesto launch yesterday. How do they stack up against the other major parties’?

Manifestos GE 2017 Infographic - Vuelio

 

Vuelio General Election Briefing 22nd May

This week saw the three main UK-wide parties launch their manifestos, and the first votes being cast, as postal voters receive their ballot papers. It’s also seen a surprising turn around in the opinion polling, with Labour seemingly narrowing the gap on the Conservatives. Today has also seen a dramatic U-turn from the Conservatives on the so called ”dementia tax”. 

Here’s a quick summary of what happened last week:

  • The Conservatives, Lib-Dems and Labour launched their manifestos and postal voting began
  • The Conservatives saw a drop in support in opinion polls, something party figures are attributing to policies such as the  ‘’dementia tax’’
  • The first leader’s debate was held – with notable absences from Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn
  • As the graph below shows, the ”dementia tax” has started picking up traction on social media after a weekend where the phrase was used across the Sunday political shows by opposition parties.

dementia tac

Sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here to receive the full General Election Briefing

Vuelio General Election Briefing 15th May

It’s always the case with election campaigns that the parties’ plans will be disrupted by events outside of their control. This weekend, for example, the opposition parties have been using the cyber-attack which affected the NHS as a means of highlighting funding problems. Labour have been suggesting that Conservative funding cuts led to the use of outdated and insecure technology,  whilst the Conservatives have been defending their record on cyber-security and blaming individual NHS trusts.

Here’s a quick summary of what else happened last week:

  • The Conservatives continue their journey into Labour territory with policy announcements on an energy cap, social housing and worker’s rights
  • Speculation continues over both the source and motivation of the Labour manifesto leak, which overshadowed all policy announcements last week
  • The Conservatives maintain their lead in the polls, currently sitting at 47%
  • Both Labour and the Lib-Dems made education announcements, with Labour’s making significantly more traction on social media. The graph below shows the increase in online conversation over its announcements, although this coincides with Angela Rayner’s LBC appearance where she failed to answer simple questions on the policy

Labour manifesto

 

For all the latest election news, policy announcements and social media reaction, sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here