Taxing times for Tories

On Tuesday the Chancellor announced the postponement of a planned 3p-a-litre duty rise on fuel. Given the huge number of cash-strapped motorists that would benefit from this, the announcement seemed almost bullet-proof in its populism. So has it been met with enthusiastic support from a grateful public? Not quite.

Coming fast on the heels of the Government’s volte-face over ‘Pastygate,’ the postponement has been roundly criticised as a policy U-turn.

Any change of heart on policy conducted by Government is likely to be big news. For the media it suggests incompetence. For opposition parties it points to Government indecisiveness. When allowed to fester, these are perceptions that lose parties elections.

But despite the expected criticism of policy flip-flopping, it was the manner in which the announcement was communicated that has generated most ire. Although Osborne had previously discussed the postponement in the House of Commons, on Tuesday night, the junior Treasury minister Chloe Smith appeared on Newsnight to discuss the changes with presenter Jeremy Paxman.

The interview can best be described as ‘Textbook Paxman.’ Smith was mercilessly grilled over the Government’s postponement, and despite maintaining a level of poise that would escape most of us, the interview was quickly placed on YouTube as an example of another Paxman dressing down.

Smith’s performance was seized upon by Labour MPs, media commentators and even one back-bench Conservative MP. But instead of criticism focusing on the relatively inexperienced Smith, anger was instead directed towards Osborne. The suggestion was that he had ‘hidden’ behind Smith and asked her to deliver the difficult news instead of appearing on Newsnight himself.

Rightly or wrongly, this sort of decision matters. What you communicate is only half the story, the other is how this is communicated. Previous attempts by Governments to sneak out unfavourable or unpopular announcements have led to widespread criticism, not least after the now famous quote from former special adviser Jo Moore - “It's now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury.”

On big policy decisions, there is an expectation that Cabinet members should deliver and discuss them in public. This expectation is amplified when the policy is debated on a particularly challenging platform, such as Newsnight. In failing to recognise this important communications principle, the Government has turned what should have been a well-received policy decision into a question of its competence and its members’ bravery.


John Hood
Consultant
john@linstockcommunications.com