Preparing for the General Election: Top Tips from the Experts

Last week I had the privilege of chairing WIG ’s Workings of General Election Seminar, a unique one day in-person session delivered by former senior civil servants and public sector leaders to provide insights into what happens within the civil service in the run up to and immediately after a general election.

With the vote due to be held no later than 24 January 2025, it is inevitable that there will be a change in Government either in terms of a Cabinet reshuffle with new manifesto commitments o r an entirely new political leadership. The outcome of the election is anyone’s guess at this point in time, and WIG’s crystal ball is no clearer than any others. Regardless of our new Government, it struck me that there are steps that can be taken to help support new ministers and policy makers. Some of the key themes that WIG members should consider:

1. New Ministers Need Help- Constructive and focused dialogue is pivotal

One of the most helpful reminders throughout the day is that Ministers are people. Helpful right?! They have just worked gruelling hours to support their party get elected locally and nationally, they have been on the political trail for months, existing off little sleep and their focus has been on the election outcome. Within days that focus then turns to running a department of thousands of people, delivering on manifesto promises, managing their parliamentary and constituency workload, plus the backlog of decisions that will need to be taken based off policy from their predecessors. When engaging, remember you will be one of hundreds of people looking to get their time. Consider how your engagement is going to support them in delivering on their party’s manifesto promises, be constructive, and offer worked through potential policy solutions. If there are quick wins that involve little/no cost (consider economic context), these will be the most attractive proposals.

2. Access talks are critical, but don’t expect a readout?

As you will know, access talks are the meetings between the Senior Civil Service (usually the Permanent Secretary) and Opposition Parties (usually the opposition’s Shadow Secretary of State) in the run up to a general election. Their purpose is to help establish priorities and build relationships between the key officials and the opposition parties. They are authorised by the Government of the day and take place “without ministers having a right to be privy to the content of the discussions”. The talks are focused on operational matters and not advice-giving forums.

The sense from the day is that the depth of these access talks varies dependent on the department. They are extremely sensitive discussions, with very few privilege to the information that comes from the meetings. Whether you are in the public, private or third sector, don’t expect a readout. Interestingly, there is relatively little structure around these access talks and is dependent on the election period (the run up to 1997 election saw quite lengthy talks, while other elections were perhaps less rigorous).???

?3. Be clear on how and where you can support Special Advisers

Special Advisers have increasingly come to the attention of the general public in the last 3 years. These unique individuals play a key role in enabling the government of the day to deliver. For those outside the public sector, engaging Political Advisers (shadow spads) and the Government Spads early is critical to build the relationship before an incredibly busy post-election period. For all across the sectors there were some key lessons on how to work with Spads in the first 100 days:

• Don’t patronise- unsolicited advice or being told what is important is rarely well received. Bear in mind these individuals will be exhausted from a gruelling election campaign. They will have in-depth knowledge of either the area or importantly what the minister wants to achieve. Consider how you can support them on this
• To help, consider quick wins- As ever constructive assistance is always welcome. Whether you are a policy maker or sitting outside government, short concise solutions and quick wins which help deliver on manifesto promises in the first 100 days will be incredibly welcome
• Support Spads in developing a network- Spads will be well versed in the political context but not necessarily across Whitehall, industry, academia or the not-for-profit sector, the more you can do to support them with developing a network of experts in these spaces, around the topics of most interest will only be seen as positive

?4. Consider context- “It’s the economy, stupid”?

As alluded to above, the challenges facing the UK will invariably be based on the economic picture. As manifestos become clearer they will likely be based on the economic foundation. As we look for policy solutions to the UK’s biggest challenges, fully-funded modelling and a focus on wins for the UK economic outlook will likely be favoured. The more the sectors can do to collaborate to address this, the better it will be for government, business and society.?

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If you missed the Workings of General Election course, panic not. WIG will be looking to run the session again in 2024. Alternatively to make sure your team is well versed on the?Workings of Whitehall , you can register for a place at our October seminar now. For more information or to make sure you have a place saved, email Leo Fedorcio on?[email protected] Leo Fedorcio

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