Clearly MD on Labour win and implications for business and the PR industry
So, there we have it. The most predictable General Election win for a quarter of a century. Confidence of a sweeping Labour victory was so high that The Mirror printed its front page for today at 10:30 pm last night!
Whether you voted Sir Kier et al into power or not, all that matters is what happens next. For businesses and especially those of us working in a PR industry that can sometimes be vulnerable to economic fluctuations, that’s the question we all want answered.
Here’s the thoughts of Clearly’s founder and managing director, Paul MacKenzie-Cummins.
“Growth is inevitable. History tells us so. It’s time to prepare for it. Now.”
On business:
“I dislike the term ‘broken’, but that is how the state of the economy over the last few years can be best described. The outgoing Government seemingly had run out of ideas on how to halt the decline and growth barely got a mention in their campaigning.
“With Labour, whilst their manifesto was not quite as robust as one might have hoped, it does give me a renewed sense of optimism as to the economic outlook for businesses over the coming months.
“I don’t expect a sharp uptick, that would be both overly optimistic and unrealistic. But as history has shown time and again economies always perform well during election years and I expect the same will apply now.”
On the PR industry:
“The PR industry has had a hell of a time, stretching back to 2020. Business confidence has been low and the outgoing Government appeared to have run out of any ideas to steady the economy let alone return it to growth.
“Growth, I firmly believe, will almost certainly be apparent before the end of the year and that should see demand for PR services rise once more.”
[Paul was also quoted in PRWeek today. You can read the full commentary here].
On Starmer’s personal brand:
“It would be a falsehood to suggest that this election was a hard-fought one.
“The distaste over the damage caused by the Conservatives was matched only by a disdain for a Prime Minister with as much personality as the Conservative Party’s blue tree logo and a man so far removed from the realities of economic strife that he sees the word ‘bank’ in ‘food bank’ and his eyes widen in delight.
“Starmer is no PR fave either. He’s not the most charismatic presenter, is a tad on the dull side, clearly could use some good media training, and regrettably proclaimed his delight at gaining the support of The S*n newspaper.
“But he’s the antitheses to his rival and someone that the people clearly want to get behind – perhaps dull and honest is now favoured over robotic and disillusioned. Starmer doesn’t have gravitas but he does have that all-important support of those who can effect positive change.”
More on how businesses can start preparing for growth:
How PR unlocks growth opportunities.
How to get PR mileage from the General Election.
Video: There’s an election coming. So too is growth. Are you ready?
