When a new Prime Minister arrives

As the Conservative leadership contest draws to a close, like almost every policy or public affairs person across the UK, I’ve spent the last few weeks and months thinking about the best strategies for approaching a new incoming Prime Minister. 

I’ll resist the temptation to talk about my views on the strengths and weaknesses of the process that we’ve all witnessed for the election of a new Conservative Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, over the last two months (tempting as that might be!), and focus instead on how on earth you prepare for a new administration. 

In normal times (which have been in short supply in the last few years), government leadership changes as a result of a general election.  More recently, and definitely since Tony Blair left Number 10, the ‘new normal’ has been for new Prime Ministers to be selected not by popular vote, but by individual party procedures.  Policy and public affairs professionals have had a lot of experience of that recently.

So, the most important question to ask is how on earth can you try to get cut through on your priorities when every lobby group is trying to do exactly the same thing?

I’ve been giving a lot of thought recently to this question – not least given the very challenging context that we are all working within at present.  

At the time of writing this post, I have no idea which of the two candidates for the top office of state will be successful (although if the polls are to be believed, this was a contest in name only!).  However, the fundamental questions remain the same.  What will the priorities be of the new PM? How will the machinery of Number 10 change under the new leadership? And how do you get a voice in what is already a very crowded space?

From a policy and public affairs perspective, one of the upsides of a change of PM without a general election is that most of the faces will remain the same.  While we may not know the configuration of the Cabinet that the new Prime Minister might choose, they are all familiar faces and personalities.  Compared to a different party coming in to power in a general election, this is a more straightforward starting point to work from.

I’ve spent the last couple of days crafting an approach to the new Prime Minister to highlight some of the pressing issues that are important to me and the organisation that I’m involved with.  Therefore, I thought that I should share the top five things that stand out to me as the most important lessons from that. 

Tip 1:  Be relevant

With a change of government leadership, there is a huge temptation to throw everything and the kitchen sink at your first approach.  This won’t work.  It’s really important that you are responsive to the wider context in which that person will be arriving into the biggest job in the country.  What are the key issues that will be their in-tray?  And how is your issue relevant or related to that? 

Tip 2:  Offer solutions

An incoming Prime Minister will be presented with 1001 different problems that require their attention.  This incoming Prime Minister is facing the biggest cost of living crisis for a generation, a war in Europe, and the continuing shadow of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.  In your initial approach, it’s important not to just add to the list of problems, but to offer solutions too.  If you can make your solutions appear simple, obvious and achievable, you’re much more likely to get the outcome that you are seeking.  

Tip 3: Think politically

An incoming Prime Minister wants to come with solutions.  They want to be able to answer what have been the most difficult questions that their predecessor failed to address.  When you’re thinking about that initial approach, you also need to think politically.  You might have in your mind the very best policy solution, but if it won’t work politically, it’s not going to fly.  Listen to what they are saying, understand their priorities and their world view, and you’ll be able to frame your pitch in the most positive and influential way.  With a previous change of Prime Minister, I recall pitching a solution as an easy political win that would generate some easy kudos. It worked, and led to a short-term cash injection on an issue that mattered a great deal to my key stakeholders.  

Tip 4:  Time it well

When a new Prime Minister arrives as a result of a change of government though a General Election, we’ve become very familiar with the transition of power that takes place, and the way in which that happens.  With a change of Prime Minister outside of an election cycle, the technicalities of timings matter more than ever.  In the current transition, while the new Prime Minister will be announced on Monday lunchtime, they won’t officially become new the Prime Minister until they are invited by the Queen to form a government on Tuesday.  

Tip 5:  Address any objections up front

If you’ve already got reasonably good relationships with civil servants and officials, you’ll have a pretty good idea what their advice is likely to be to the new Prime Minister in response to your suggestions.  If you can head those off at the pass, you’ll be in a much better and stronger position.  Think about the counter arguments that you can use to address such objections, and include them up front in your initial approach to the new Prime Minister

None of us quite know how the incoming occupant of Number 10 will change the way that policy influencing needs to happen.  But the one thing that we can be certain of is that it will be different.  Whether that is down to different priorities, a different Cabinet composition, or even a different culture at the heart of Government, we will all need to learn and adapt to a new reality. 

What are your thoughts on how easy it is for policy and public affairs professionals to adapt to a new style of political leadership?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.