In this column, former No 10 advisor Giles Kenningham analyses the worst comms screw-ups of the election campaign. So what took the prize for the worst PR gaffe this week?
The polls are showing a huge number of undecided voters in this election – a symptom of widespread disaffection with the main political parties and the wider ‘establishment’.
This provides a perfect platform for political disrupters – a gap the Green Party could exploit. Indeed, they raise many salient issues and have an important role in our democracy.
But A lack of professionalism has undermined their bid to be taken seriously. For starters, having two leaders isn’t practical. Two years ago they were also busy lecturing us that renewables, insulation and heat pumps’ were essential ‘right now‘ to tackle the pressing climate crisis. This in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Yet it now emerges one of the party’s leaders – Carla Denyer- still hasn’t installed one. Her excuse? The snap election. As Boris Johnson learned, there is nothing worse for voters than a politician saying ‘Do as I say, not as I do’.
Then Denyer said any Green MPs elected to parliament wouldn’t have to toe the party line – some people may well argue that’s a good thing – but you need unity and coherence if you are going to be a serious political force- especially to cut through as a party of a few MPs.
To add insult to injury she was then forced to delete a Twitter marking Windrush Day that actually featured no one from the Windrush generation.
Three gaffes in a week – even that would make Rishi Sunak wince.