Connect scoops national award for engagement at party conferences
Connect Communications has won the prestigious Party Conference Fringe Event of the Year at the Public Affairs Awards 2016 for the Fraud Fringe. Read more
The Week In Westminster – another election, another upset
This has been another week dominated by Brexit. Despite Zac Goldsmith’s greatest efforts, the Richmond by-election became a vote about Brexit rather than Heathrow expansion. He wouldn’t have been helped by notes from Mark Field’s aide, purportedly revealing a hard ‘have your cake and eat it’ Brexit strategy. Read more
Launching the PRCA Review of Political Predictions – Brexit, Trump and why the experts failed to see what was coming
We all got it wrong again. The city, the pollsters, the pundits and the bookies predicted Hillary Clinton would win. Read more
Autumn Statement 2016: Connect’s briefing
With the fallout from the EU Referendum and Conservative divisions playing out daily in the media and Parliament, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Phillip Hammond is under pressure to use his first Autumn Statement to unite his Party and demonstrate that the Government has a solid plan for the UK’s future outside the EU. Read more
US Election – how the night will unfold for UK viewers
Most people in the UK will wake up on Wednesday morning to the news of who the new US President is. This is a short guide for those that can’t wait to find out the result of this dramatic, if at times unedifying, election. Throughout the night the BBC, ITV and Sky all have election special programmes, and you may be able to access CNN and other channels. Here is a rough guide to timings of the key moments through the night on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, shown in UK time.
An election that doesn’t work for everyone – the case against an early election
In a year which has seen elections in London, Scotland, Wales much of England and across the UK, it seems extraordinary that we might be subjected to another early poll. Yet rumours abound of a snap election. One hack claims MPs have been secretly taken into No. 10 to have their election photo with the new PM.
This is why I don’t think it’s going to happen. (Warning – predictions made on this blog are subject to change.) Read more
‘Hard Brexit’ – a platform for a new Scottish independence referendum?
Unlike Tories and Labour, neither the SNP’s rapidly rising membership nor the recent upheavals of Brexit and a change in Prime Minister have unsettled the party machine. In stark contrast to the public airing of sectarian party divisions this conference season, the conference saw little public division. Instead the tensions within the party membership are under the surface. Long-time party members could be heard commenting on the increasingly commercial focus of the conference. Read more
Women and Work APPG takes Labour conference by storm
Women and Work APPG takes Labour conference by storm
“It’s not that women aren’t working, it’s that work isn’t working for women” or so claimed Angela Rayner when she spoke at the Women and Work APPG’s inaugural fringe event at Labour conference. Read more
Don’t write us off yet – the Lib Dems are serious about policy at this low-key conference
The big news from the Liberal Democrat conference was that there wasn’t really any news. On Monday, the middle day of the conference, The Today Programme’s 7.10am and 8.10am slots were both occupied by the news of Jeremy Corbyn’s plans for bringing unity to the Labour party in parliament. Again on Tuesday, the day of Tim Farron’s big Leader’s Speech, the Lib Dems did not feature at all. Read more
A housing market that works for everyone: is there a shift in Government policy towards the private rented sector?
Last week members of the Connect team caught up on the latest political and industry trends at RESI, Property Week’s annual conference on the UK residential property market. Read more