The Votes Are In: Post-Election Analysis with Steve Richards

This morning, we hosted a special AA/Front Foot breakfast event with broadcaster and journalist Steve Richards, who uncovered the crucial debates, battlegrounds and dividing lines that shaped the election, exploring their impact on votes nationwide and the implications for society and businesses moving forward.

The event started with a warm welcome from our host at VCCP, CEO Andrew Peake, followed by our CEO, Stephen Woodford, providing an overview of the AA’s contribution during the election – through our political advertising literacy campaign with Media Smart. Stephen also explained how advertising helped promote voting and looked back at various party election campaigns.

Our guest speaker, Steve Richards, then took to the stage to reflect on the past administration, stating that the British public had almost become immune to how unstable the previous Government was. He spoke about the stability that will come in with the new Government, as well as the appointment of experts such as James Timpson and Sir Patrick Vallance to Cabinet posts. Furthermore, Steve stated how he believes the new Prime Minister’s experience outside politics comes with advantages.

Steve also explored Labour’s landslide and how they achieved it. He emphasised the agenda behind the scenes and how everything had been prepared for their election, with the new administration wasting no time to get started.

Specifically, when it comes to how the new Government might respond to the advertising industry, Steve reminded the audience that economic growth is make or break for Labour, which means they wouldn’t see advertising as a cost. However, he also mentioned that the new Government might regulate certain advertising they do not approve of.

The event ended with Steve talking about the importance of creativity, with audience questions about the appointment of Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, who is thought to hold a positive view on how culture can lead to economic growth around the nations and regions.

A big thank you to our members who could attend and to VCCP for hosting us!