Labour’s First 100 Days: How Will Public Affairs Skills Requirements Shift?
Sir Keir Starmer’s first 100 days as Prime Minister have already seen substantial shifts in the UK’s political and policy landscape. Tackling the country’s financial challenge is clearly a priority, however, there are also several other areas under the spotlight and where major, market-shifting policies have been launched or are under development. Employers in fields impacted by this potential transition need to be agile in order to keep pace with market changes. But in what areas are skills requirements shifting?
Economic policy
Economic policy is possibly the number one area subject to the biggest change. It’s no secret that the UK economy has slowed down, and Labour is making substantial changes to taxation, particularly in the areas related to education and non-domiciled tax statuses. These changes, such as the removal of VAT exemptions for private schools and closing tax loopholes, are expected to fund improvements in other markets, including healthcare. Employers, particularly in remits such as financial services and the public sector that will be more directly impacted, will need to track these changes closely and advise their clients on the implications of such reforms. This will, of course, put additional pressures on public affairs professionals to ramp up their communication activity in the coming months.
Energy
Energy is another area where the roles of public affairs specialists are likely to substantially change and grow in the coming years. This is particularly true within renewables, where the launch of Great British Energy, a state-owned energy company initiated by the new government, will have significant implications. Labour’s vision for GB Energy includes supporting renewable energy projects and contributing to the UK’s climate targets. This means public affairs specialists with experience in regulations surrounding energy production, emissions, and sustainability will be in growing demand.
As most already know, these roles include navigating complex relationships with key Government figures and departments and contributing insights on industry perspectives to ensure a collaborative approach. This emphasis on green initiatives will also have a knock-on effect and likely reshape corporate social responsibility strategies, providing a platform for companies to showcase their alignment with Labour’s climate goals. Encouragingly, though, that does also mean that those public affairs professionals who can clearly demonstrate similar attributes have the potential to jump across sectors and be involved in what will no doubt be an exciting remit to be part of in the next few years.
Health and education
Healthcare and education are also under the Labour Party’s spotlight and major investments in both markets have been mooted. Policies such as the introduction of free primary school breakfast programs and working towards reducing NHS wait times with the creation of thousands of additional weekly appointments will reshape the existing landscape which, in turn, will only put more pressure on public affairs professionals within these sectors to objectively feed into a wealth of consultations in the coming months.
But perhaps the most significant change within these fields came only last week, with the announcement of the Employment Rights Bill, which will allegedly mark the "biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation". The new legislation proposes changes to laws related to unfair dismissal and granting workers more rights from day one of employment, to name just a few. It also looks to address zero-hours contracts, and flexible working, which is set to become the 'default' for all workers. On top of this, there have also been proposed changes to sick pay, unpaid parental and bereavement leave and so-called 'fire and rehire' policies. While this promises a major shake-up of employment rights, many of the proposed reforms are still being clarified, and further information is needed for how they will be delivered in practice. Either way, the Bill itself will be a core focus for public affairs professionals in the employment remit in the next two years, particularly given the sheer number of planned consultations (which stands at 28 at the time of writing).
Public affairs skills
At a specific sector level, an acute understanding of individual markets will obviously be critical for public affairs professionals and subject matter experts will be, and are already, in significant demand. However, there are other, broader traits required by those in the profession currently that should also be noted.
Labour’s policy shifts, from tax reforms to public sector investment, through to the employment rights bill, will necessitate deep analytical skills. The best professionals working in public affairs will be able to interpret these policy changes and anticipate their potential impacts on various industries, enabling them to guide clients and employers to address upcoming changes, rather than reacting to them.
Equally, rapid and significant changes in tax and regulatory policies will drive the need for more crisis management and communication skills to handle potential public misunderstandings surrounding Labour’s policies. Equally, recruiting those with a detailed understanding of social media tools and data analytics will allow organisations to track public sentiment and adjust campaigns accordingly.
And with the new Government’s emphasis on social reform and wealth redistribution, organisations may need to collaborate with a broader range of stakeholders, from local communities to government officials in the public sector. Professionals with strong engagement skills will enable their employer to advocate positions on various policies, which are particularly relevant as organisations seek to have a voice in shaping future policies.
The first 100 days of Labour’s administration have laid the groundwork for long-term changes in the UK’s political and economic landscape. Employers, including Government agencies, political consultancies, local governments and more will need to adapt the public affairs skills they seek accordingly to keep up with this change and take advantage of the opportunities it creates.
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