The PRCA has conducted a snap poll of 70 lobbyists after David Cameron’s July reshuffle.
According to the lobbying industry, the Conservatives’ communications handling around the reshuffle announcements paid dividends, while Labour’s response was notably ineffective.
In the PRCA poll, 61% of lobbyists said that the Conservatives’ handling of the reshuffle reflected fairly well on them, with a further 17% going so far to say it reflected very well. 10% stated that it reflected fairly badly on the party, although not a single lobbyist polled said it reflected very badly.
Ultimately, respondents were reasonably positive when asked whether this addressed Cameron’s “woman problem”, with 9% and 54% stating it addressed the problem very well and fairly well respectively. While not every industry professional was convinced, only 4% went as far as to say it addressed the problem very badly.
The results suggest a cautious industry outlook as we move towards the 2015 General Election. When asked whether this reshuffle will make it easier or harder for the Conservatives to win next May, 42% had no opinion either way while 49% thought it would make it reasonably easier.
Rating the effectiveness of Labour’s messaging, the industry was critical, with 54% and 27% saying that this had been fairly ineffective and very ineffective respectively. Just 1.5% said that the party, which remains ahead in the polls, had very effective messaging around the reshuffle.
Kevin Craig, MD of PLMR, suggested that the Conservatives have nullified Labour’s key lines of attack: “The Tory Backbenches today contain many malcontents. But the Prime Minister, facing outwards, has utter power and this is a direct attempt to anticipate Labour key attack lines on the Tories of a Government that lacks empathy and doesn't look like ordinary people - it is a clever reshuffle.”
Dan Large, Founder of By&Large Insight, articulated many of the perceived problems with Labour’s messaging: “The Labour 'lurch to the right' message was not only factually incorrect, it was tired. That's why they got squeezed out of the broadcast coverage early on in favour of a positive narrative from the Conservatives that was refreshing in its strength. It's almost like they weren't prepared. Or even in the office!”