Public affairs and communications management

"With the Parliamentary Voting and Constituencies Bill having finally received Royal Assent after a spirited display of obstinacy by the Lords, Number 10 will now be turning attention to the thorny task of communicating the government’s approach to the AV referendum, with the potentially unedifying sight of the Prime Minster and Deputy Prime Minister publicly taking opposing views on the topic.

For public affairs professionals, the way in which this tricky issue is handled will provide an informative insight into current strategy in Downing Street.

Despite the press attempting to make this a story about Clegg versus Cameron, playing into their narrative on Coalition splits, No 10 will want to depersonalise the story, and as far as possible keep the PM above the fray. Whilst there is an obvious difference between the positions of the two governing parties, the government will be seeking to emphasise that it is possible for the two parties to work together effectively, yet have differences of opinion.

One of the founding principles of the Coalition Agreement was a respect for each party’s right to hold differing views on this issue, so the Number 10 team will look to show continuity in the government’s position, highlighting that encouraging a diversity of opinion within the Coalition is a sign of the mature ‘new politics’ they are trying to create.

In public affairs terms this is encouraging. Following the recent u-turns on school sports funding, the forests sell-off, free books in schools, disability living allowance and housing benefits, the government will be taking the line that consultation, debate and discussion are a sign of the pragmatism that marks a healthily functioning democracy."