Downing Street Communications Director Tim Allan has written to journalists in the Lobby cabal about changes Labour is making to how they are briefed. The longstanding system is two secret daily briefings that can go on for however long the journalists want, at which the PM’s spokesman issues government lines…
Now Allan says:
“How the Government provides information to journalists and responds to their questions are important parts of our democratic process. The Government wants to ensure that the process is as efficient and as effective as possible.
The media landscape has been utterly transformed over the last few years, and current arrangements are not fit for purpose. A far greater number of journalists and content creators now wish to engage with the Government and government policies outside the Lobby process, which changes the demands on government communications.
Reforms are needed to better serve journalists and to better inform the public about government policies.
We will be reforming the Lobby system from January in the following ways:
1. We will cancel the afternoon lobby. The afternoon lobby has become very sparsely attended. It often repeats lines given at the morning lobby or repeats government lines on stories which are freely available elsewhere. It is not a good use of journalists’ time, or a good use of our communications resources.
2. Instead of afternoon Lobby, we will commence occasional afternoon press conferences with Ministers in Number 9 Downing Street. These will start with the Minister setting out a new announcement from the government and taking questions on it.
3. We will also commence occasional afternoon technical briefings in Number 9 Downing Street. These will provide an opportunity to ask relevant officials detailed questions on policy announcements.
4. We will be instigating a series of morning press conferences in Number 9 Downing Street with Ministers, and occasionally the Prime Minister setting out the main government announcements of the day. These will be open to the lobby, to sector journalists and to content creators. When such press conferences occur, there will not be a Lobby briefing that day.
These changes will begin in the first week of January. I hope you agree that these changes will allow Lobby journalists more direct access to Ministers and a greater ability access information about government policies.”
Joint statement from David Hughes and Lizzy Buchan, outgoing and incoming Lobby chairs:
“We are greatly concerned by this step and furious that the lobby was not consulted about this move which restricts access and, we fear, scrutiny. Downing Street has promised more ministerial press conferences but they will obviously control the timetable for those and will no doubt seek to choose who they take questions from. None of this bodes well for transparency from a government which came into office promising to raise standards. “
Lobby hacks rankled…
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