unicornnews: PRs reckon Lewis good appointment

PR commentators have commended Gordon Brown’s decision to bring former royal communicator Simon Lewis in as his Director Of Communications. Number Ten announced that the experienced PR man will be taking over communications at the heart of government yesterday.

His brief, presumably, is to help lift the Brown team’s reputation following the fallout of the parliamentary expenses scandal, the local and European election defeats, and the various high profile ministerial resignations that surrounded this month’s Euro ballot. He will also want to stop claims that have been made by a number of Brown’s critics, including some within the Labour Party, that there is a blame culture at Number Ten where aides automatically brief against all of Brown’s critics.

Both journalists and PR professionals alike seem to think that, while this is no easy brief, if anyone can improve the media and public perception of the Gordon Brown brand, Lewis can.

He, of course, became prominent beyond the corporate communications industry in 1998 when he was appointed as the communications chief at Buckingham Palace, the first proper PR man to work for the royal family. He was brought in to overhaul the palace’s media relations and tackle public perception issues following the stresses put on the monarchy after the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

That said, some say his biggest comms achievement is more recent than that, when he aided the boss of Vodafone, Arun Sarin, as he faced boardroom coups and shareholder rebellions. The Guardian quote one PR professional who observes: “He helped Sarin hold his nerve. He has a very calm manner. That’s what he will exercise at No 10. He won’t be part of the blame culture”.

Whether Lewis will be able to reinvigorate the fortunes of the flagging government through a communication programme remains to be seen. With a General Election having to happen at some point in the next twelve months, there’s a relatively short timeframe in which to deliver.

Posted Wednesday June 17 2009 by Chris Cooke

Related categories: Political Communications