Portland

Only a few hours to go until the official kick-off of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris ⚽🏀🏈⚾🎾🚴🏻♂️ This global event once again reminds us that sport is a universal language that provides a platform for people around the world to express themselves in various ways. Earlier this year, we helped our client Agence Française de Développement launch the Sport #BeyondTheGame campaign (in French, Sport, #PlusQuUnJeu), that showcased inspiring and authentic stories from people around the world - revealing the transformative power of sports. Through a compelling hero video, which will be featured on top-tier French media outlet France24 throughout the Games, and a live photo exhibition across Paris, the expo also made its way to the first Sport for Sustainable Development (#Sport4SD) Summit in Paris yesterday! If you’re in Paris for the Games, keep an eye out for the expo as you roam through the streets of the City of Life! To check out the campaign, visit https://shorturl.at/bqkva!

This week, we were thrilled to host a thought-provoking session with Michael Sheldrick at Portland. Michael, co-founder of Global Citizen and author of the new book From Ideas to Impact: A Playbook for Influencing and Implementing Change in a Divided World, shared his invaluable insights on policy entrepreneurship and his journey co-founding Global Citizen. If you would like to purchase Michaels book, you can find it here: https://lnkd.in/eJW_pgw5 #LifeatPortland

It was a pleasure to sit down with Tim Shipman, Chief Political Editor of The Sunday Times, yesterday morning. Tim gave our clients and friends his take on what is in store for Starmer's premiership, including how the personalities and priorities of key decision-makers, will align, or clash, in the months to come. Thank you to Tim for a fascinating discussion, and to our audience for some great questions.    If you'd like to be on the list for future events, please get in touch at mbd@portland-communications.com

Just before votes were cast in the General Election, Portland conducted polling to work out the policy areas with the most riding on them for Keir Starmer. Our Jeopardy Index showed the top ten issues which Labour voters say would prompt them to change their vote if the new government fails to deliver. In his first speech as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer touched on nine out of the ten issues. Click the link below to read Portland's analysis of what the that tells us about Starmer's priorities. https://lnkd.in/eYzwB8xV

Who are Labour's new cohort of MPs? The declarations are in and amongst Labour’s 412 confirmed MPs, 243 were not previously members of parliament when Rishi Sunak called the election. Our database of Labour’s 2024 cohort lets you find the new MPs with experience or interest in the sectors relevant to you. Search by sector to see the names and profiles of the new MPs. Get in touch if you want to understand the dynamics of this new cohort and ensure you are navigating the new political landscape effectively. https://lnkd.in/ec7X_qDz

Labour has won a decisive victory in the general election - just shy of Tony Blair’s seat count in 1997. The Conservatives have suffered their worst-ever result in terms of both seats and vote share. Given the starting point of Starmer's leadership back in 2020, it is impossible to overstate the scale of the Labour victory.   He now has a majority large enough to push through the most bold of political agendas. But this election was never just a battle between Conservatives and Labour, and the results show that. The dynamics of the vote - with Reform, Greens and the Liberal Democrats all significantly exceeding expectations - demonstrates the volatility of the UK electorate, something which looks set to become the political norm.   UK voters have shown they are willing to vote tactically, exact punishment and ditch parties as quickly as they lend them their support. The low turnout suggests at least a portion are willing to reject the vote altogether. During the campaign Keir Starmer said he was embarking on a "decade of renewal" - these results suggest voters are prepared to give him the mandate to deliver big change, but there's no guarantee there will be the patience to wait a decade for it.   And for public affairs strategies, businesses this need to get used to moving away from a predominantly two party focus seen over the last few decades, towards a deepening and broadening of relationships across many more political parties.

Last night, Portland co-hosted our Election night party with Prospect Magazine in the heart of Westminster.   It was great to see so many of Portland's clients and friends there, and the energy was palpable as we gathered in the auditorium to watch the exit poll live.   A huge thank you to the team at Prospect Magazine for helping us to pull off such a fantastic evening. 

As well as it being polling day in the UK today, French voters will also be heading to the polls this week, for the second time in their legislative elections.    Our French colleagues hosted a breakfast yesterday to pose the question: What's at stake in these elections in terms of policy making and international relations?   The team were joined by former French Ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud and political scientist Chloé Morin.   They had a lively and rich discussion covering the fallout from the 1st round of the elections, the possible outcomes from Sunday's 2nd round, and the potential international impacts that could follow.    Many thanks to all the participants for attending. Stephane HARROUCH Daphne Cafritz

Last week, our research team led by Gabriel Milland conducted a nationally representative online survey to identify a “Jeopardy Index” for a future Labour government. The index ranks the top 10 issues which – if not acted upon in the next Parliament – are most likely to make people who say they are certain to vote Labour today, choose not to vote for Labour next time. Despite not featuring prominently in manifestos or party-political campaigning, its notable that those surveyed chose “access to as many of the best new medicines possible, even if expensive” as the issue most likely to dissuade them from voting Labour again. Surprisingly, it was the youngest age group who were most likely to consider withdrawing their vote if access to medicines was not prioritized, with 72% of 18 to 24 year olds polled highlighting a lack of progress on medicine access as a vote-shifter, compared to only 37% of those aged 65 years and over. Read more about the findings in The PharmaLetter here: https://lnkd.in/eYRrVwc3