Portland

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Labour's first 100 days 🌹 New Labour MP Lucy Rigby, the IfG's Tim Durrant, Emma Dean from Portland Communications, and Ben Shimshon from Thinks Insight & Strategy join PoliticsHome to discuss Labour's achievements and missteps in their first few months in government 🎙️Listen here: https://pod.fo/e/273170

What's the big lesson from the resignation of Sue Gray? According to Portland's senior adviser Alastair Campbell, it's that things go wrong for governments when they are not relentlessly telling their own story. Speaking to the Today programme earlier on BBC Radio 4, Alastair said: "Government is harder than opposition, and government is not just about the technocratic delivery of policy and change. It's about the relentless, endless, never-ending conversation that you're having with the country about what you are trying to do for the country. And I think it's fair to say that that bit you know has been largely missing" "They've got big missions, which frankly should be what we're talking about. They should be what the government are emphasising with constant explanation as to what they're doing, how they're doing it, and why they're doing it." "If you're not constantly, developing, executing and narrating a very clear strategy, then a sense of a vacuum can develop, and that will be filled with stuff like this. "What you have to be doing the whole time is making sure that the media and the public have things to think about and concentrate on that are coming from government, that actually relate to their lives, and actually are about the big things, and the change that the government promised".

We are very pleased to announce we're working with ambitious Italian energy company EEMS ITALIA SPA. We'll support EEMS ITALIA SPA to build their reputation in Italy and beyond, through story-telling around their business strategy and their sustainability plans. There's lots of exciting work to do together, and we can't wait to get started. https://lnkd.in/etWsSEGc

The Tories were in a remarkably upbeat mood over four days in Birmingham this week. But Portland’s Manging Director of Public Affairs Emma Dean and Head of Research Gabriel Milland argue here that this year’s Conservative conference failed to provide many answers about the party’s direction – or prompt much soul-searching on the hard choices it needs to make as it tries to reassemble an electoral coalition capable of winning. As they write: “Free market zealotry and full-throated social conservatism are both politically damaging choices for the very voters they need to win back. In combination, they are fatal. The problem is that there didn’t seem many takers for these hard truths.”  https://lnkd.in/excRj86v

Our team had a brilliant time at last week's #Omniwomen2024 Summit, learning about leadership skills and career development alongside peers from across Omnicom. Check out Elizabeth La Trobe's wrap-up below 👇 Roll on next year's Summit!

Looking forward to Conservative Party Conference next week! Here's a sneak peak at Portland's #BuiltEnvironment guide to #CPC, do drop me a message if you'd like to see our full breakdown of industry related events or discuss what to prioritise in such a packed agenda. As always, would love to grab a coffee with friends so do get in touch.

This week, Portland was excited to attend #UNGA79 - the biggest event in the global diplomacy calendar. 📅 Key issues like the climate-health nexus, nutrition, and antimicrobial resistance dominated the discussions. Our own Jessica Smart was on the ground, connecting with partners and gathering the latest insights on the most urgent global challenges.

This year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will seek to focus the world’s attention on climate action, and maximise momentum after the UN’s adoption of the “Pact for the Future” this week. But COP achievements and announcements are months in the making and heavily reliant on geopolitics and momentum. Huw Davies, Senior Advisor at Portland has a decade of experience in international climate change politics and negotiations. With all eyes on Baku, Huw shares his insights on what we can expect from COP29 this year. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eYK3PcwG

We were thrilled to welcome so many fantastic clients and friends to our annual Labour Party Conference drinks and dinner in Liverpool this week.   Our guests heard from Portland Senior Adviser Alastair Campbell, where he shared his views and opened the discussion up for a lively conversation covering a range of topics including:   - Is the new government comms team getting it right? - How many people can (properly) name the 5 government Missions and does it matter? - Can the government deliver, and will it be enough to meet public expectations? - And what is happening in politics in the EU and US, and what does it mean for the UK and the Government?

Last Thursday, Portland was thrilled to have Richard Lloyd OBE, Chair at The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), and Deputy Chair at the Financial Conduct Authority, join us for Afternoon Tea in our London office. Alongside Simon Pugh, Partner in Portland’s Litigation and Disputes practice, Richard discussed IPSA’s influence in Parliament and the changing regulatory landscape in the new Labour government. With a background in consumer rights, Richard also addressed the various avenues for consumer justice and the implications for corporate accountability, touching on his experience as the class representative in the Lloyd v Google class action, during which he worked with our Disputes team as communications advisers. #lifeatPortland