The new Labour government must get personal to connect with the electorate, and keep them invested in its vision for change
The new Labour government has a wealth of compelling life experience to draw on and powerful personal stories about why its leaders understand the challenges Britain faces. As the dust settles from the election, we can reflect on how the campaign used many of those stories to underline its policy priorities – improving the NHS and education among others – and to create an emotional connection between its leaders and the voting public.
How it worked: combining the personal and political on Campaign 2024
When Keir Starmer said he’d never consider going private for health treatment during the first TV debate, he initially faced some criticism. But his response at a Q&A with The Sun where he shared family experiences of using the NHS helped him draw a line under the controversy and proved a powerful way to win people round. “I spent a lot of my teenage years in high dependency units with my mum on nights we thought we were going to lose her because she was so ill” said Starmer. “So no I wouldn’t jump the queue. I wouldn’t say to the rest of the population: ‘You can be on a waiting list. Give me time to fix it, but I’m going to speed myself through.’”
Labour’s campaign put great emphasis on presenting its leadership as the relatable and empathetic choice for voters tired of the status quo. An exceptional piece of political storytelling was in a campaign video which highlighted Angela Rayner’s own personal experience of Sure Start. In conversation with Gordon Brown, who was instrumental in bringing the policy about, she was able to neatly connect Labour’s future with its successes of the past.
Other parties also recognised the huge benefits of authentic personal storytelling during the campaign. In a video on his Twitter feed Lib Dem leader Ed Davey talked about his role as a carer. It’s impossible not to feel empathy for Davey when he’s fighting back tears recounting his mother’s illness and his fears for his son’s future, and it was a powerful reminder to voters of the mess the Tories had made of social care.
In contrast, it was striking that the Conservatives seemed unable to make the most out of their leader’s own personal story – that of the UK’s first ethnic-minority prime minister. Rishi Sunak appeared unable to connect to voters with this incredible achievement and how he got there. When asked in an ITV interview what he went without so his parents could afford school fees, he blurted out that he’d missed out on… a Sky subscription. Needless to say, it did not land well.
Keeping ‘in touch’
As a storytelling professional who has worked on numerous campaigns for social change, I know what a long way it can go when it comes to showing voters that politicians understand and are ready to address their concerns. Using a background story is invaluable in answering a simple ‘why’. Why do you want to be in power? Why should I trust you? And how can you relate to my life as a voter? With trust in politicians declining, answering these questions becomes ever more important. Voters want to know the motivations of the people who deign to make the big calls.
Labour answered these big questions effectively during their general election campaign, and has won an inarguable mandate for the country. Their first weeks in government so far are largely being received well by the public. But given the enormous challenges we face as a nation, for Labour to keep that trust and show a cynical and distrustful electorate that they can and will do politics differently, they’ll need to maintain that ‘personal’ connection.
Showing authenticity though storytelling will be crucial to keep the public on Labour’s side as hard choices are made. If sharing genuine, relatable experiences that reflect MPs’ values and motivations builds trust with voters, there will certainly be moments when that trust will need to be called upon.
The Labour government has an incredible opportunity to keep this connection with voters in a way that its predecessors haven’t. Significant Cabinet appointments already have a personal connection to their briefs. Wes Streeting for example had his own experience of life saving NHS care a few years ago after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, while Angela Rayner is our first ever Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to have lived in social housing.
Not to mention that the Cabinet is all but one member state educated, coming from the sort of backgrounds to which millions of people in the country can relate. Many also have a wealth of experience working in the charity sector and seeing first-hand the problems some of our most vulnerable people and communities face. And if you browse the backgrounds of Labour’s hundreds of new intakes, it’s clear its leaders are not alone in having the ability to connect with ordinary Brits.
This presents a real chance for our new Labour government to use storytelling to make the case for progressive politics rather than the pervasive threat of populism. While the latter is very much focused on negative narratives, personal stories from MPs about how they and their families have been helped out by good public policy can paint a positive, relatable case for progressive politics and why it works.
Labour can and must now build on the work of its excellent General Election campaign by continuing to engage with and mobilise the public while in government, fostering loyalty and a stronger, more personal connection with the electorate as it puts its vision for the country into place.
If you enjoyed this piece, see Freya’s previous blog ‘If Labour is serious about fixing the health system, it needs to look at the way women are treated’.
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