If you’ve got a frightening bunch of work issues that you need to communicate about, spare a thought for the United Kingdom’s latest new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
After just over a week in office, it’s still too early to know if he can actually solve the UK’s biggest problems.
But whether you love his direct personable style – or otherwise – Prime Minister Burnham is well worth watching in order to observe how he’s projecting his early messages through the mainstream news media.
So far he’s talking calmly, straight-forwardly and insightfully about a wide range of pressing issues.
Remember he needs to tread ever-so-delicately through the nation’s challenges from behind a front door that’s become notorious for ever-growing employment insecurity.
Andy Burnham’s become the seventh Prime Minister to live at 10 Downing Street since it was David Cameron’s address back in 2016.
That works out at an average prime ministerial stay of just 1.4 years – while British governments are elected to run for five years.
But notwithstanding this shaky political environment, Andy Burnham has thrown himself heroically into the task of communicating about his plans and ideas for tackling the UK’s challenges.
This isn’t easy for any politician when you consider that the British news media does not tend to go easy on its leaders.
To give you insights about the ferocious forces British prime ministers have to withstand, below is a comedy sketch imagining what Andy Burnham’s first prime ministerial interview could have been like.
It’s a comedy scenario based on him facing up to the characteristically fierce BBC interviewer, Laura Kuenssberg, before he had been sworn into his new job.
The fictitious script dramatically brought to life in the following video are read by the lively impersonators from the BBC Radio 4 “Dead Ringers” comedy programme.
Yes, of course the script-writers grossly exaggerate for comic effect!
Nonetheless they do give you the flavour of just how tough an early media grilling can be for someone setting out to serve in the UK’s top political post.
The good news is that the real Laura Kuenssberg has now actually recorded her first real interview with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
It’s been conducted in the new ‘Downing Street North’ premises that he’s established in Manchester as part of his plans to decentralise power out of London.
And while Laura Kuenssberg’s real questions were tough enough, Andy Burnham’s answers were rather better than the comedy team suggested that they might be.
Before we display some examples of Andy Burnham’s early prime ministerial interview response efforts, let’s have a reality check.
One of the tough things for anyone high up in politics, business and other fields are the constraints that typically surround what you can communicate at any point – especially early on.
For a new prime minister – as with new chief executive officers and new company chairs – there are typically practical constraints on announcing new ideas before you’ve had the chance to get them approved in all their detail by senior colleagues.
These include constraints on what you can say before budgets have been negotiated.
This can make attracting interest and buy-in for your plans – from shareholders, staff, financiers and others – rather difficult.
Regardless of whether you like or dislike what Andy Burnham has announced so far, in my view he’s done well to be able to reveal quite a bit about his aspirations and directions.
Less impressive performers often freeze and say too little.
Overconfident performers can say too much too soon – and thereby stack up extra future problems for themselves.
One politician across the Atlantic from Britain routinely resorts to just making things up when under the pressure of tough questions from journalists.
This tendency helps explain why the following mocked up image has been posted on Facebook.
What’s refreshing about Andy Burnham’s first TV interview as prime minister is that he stands up to tough questions without freezing or fabricating.
Take for example his response to the Laura Kuenssberg questions about the challenging dealings he’s destined to have with the ever-erratic U.S. President Donald Trump.
But Andy Burnham remains unflustered while tackling this tricky topic – and, within the constraints of diplomacy – gives short enlightening answers without being unduly defensive.
Andy Burnham also dives into dealing with difficult questions about the ongoing political debate over establishing a new adult social care system.
This potentially involves a new way of providing social work, personal care and practical support for adults with disabilities and physical and/or mental illnesses – as well as support for their carers.
Andy Burnham has been advocating such a system since he served as a minister in the governments of Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
It remains a fraught political issue, but this didn’t prevent the new prime minister expressing his ongoing enthusiasm about the overdue need to set it up.
Because there’s no detailed political consensus yet on the way forward, the prime minister doesn’t have all the specifics to announce, including how it’s to be funded.
But he’s prepared to say what he can about the challenge – including what he sees as the difficulties about starting it and the necessity of having it.
You can watch Andy Burnham’s answers on social care below:
MEDIA TRAINING HELPS YOU SAY USEFUL THINGS – DESPITE THE CONSTRAINTS
Quality media interview response training sessions help participants speak out about difficult issues despite all those surrounding constraints.
By recording your practice answers in advance – and having them played back and scrutinised – you can work through what you are prepared to say on challenging issues before you enter the media studio.
There’s more about media interview response training at:
https://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/media-master-classes/
Information about sessions for giving great answers to tough questions from all directions – from shareholders to government officials – is at:
You can watch the whole of the BBC’s 15-minute interview with Andy Burnham here:
Andy Burnham remains so new as prime minister he’s still served a shorter time in office than his less politically and economically astute predecessor, Liz Truss – infamous for crashing the British economy.
She announced her departure from 10 Downing Street after just 44 days in office – eventually racking up 49 days in post.
Andy Burnham so far looks set to outlast Liz Truss’s stay by a very long way.
Of course, you can never be absolutely certain in the volatile world of modern-day politics.
But if Andy Burnham keeps communicating as effectively as he’s started, he could stay around long enough to provide us with many more prime ministerial interviews!