Politics’ reputation is in tatters. What does that mean for PR?

IF you have just arrived in the UK, it can’t have escaped you that the country is in a state of political turmoil. To put things mildly!

Brexit has dominated the agenda for years and now goes way beyond politics, to dominate almost every aspect of British life and culture.

But what does this mean from a PR perspective? How does the questionable performance of our leaders and lawmakers impact on the reputation of themselves, the UK and ultimately, the reputation of democratic processes.

This is a topic that has been analysed, dissected and poured over by all kinds of commentators and communicators. Just take a brief glance at Twitter to see how #brexit dominates online discourse.

Here’s a selection of some of the excellent perspectives on Brexit and pol comms that have caught my eye this summer. The first, from Stephen Waddington, offers an insightful profile of PM Boris Johnson’s chief strategist and comms director Dominic Cummings, a divisive figure who for many is seen as the power behind the PM.

They say a week is a long time in politics and as I write this, it strikes me that Boris may no longer be PM by the time I click publish post. Just this week, he failed to turn up at a press conference with the Luxembourg premiere for fear of the flak from a baying crowd. Nevertheless, PR Moment’s insight into how Mr Johnson might change PR is fascinating and scary all at the same time.

It seems an age ago now, but former PR Theresa May had a fair share of PR gaffes. Here, PR Week rounds up some of the best and worst from Theresa’s tenure.