Is the Office of PM Beyond PR?

Is the Office of PM Beyond PR?

From When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

February 11, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of public relations for the Prime Minister's office and the changing dynamics of communication in politics.

Some jobs just can't be done. Circumstances, events and a changing world simply make them undoable. This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis ask whether one such job is communicating on behalf of the Prime Minister. Not just this Prime Minister, but any Prime Minister. After only five months, the PM's Director of Communications, Tim Allan has quit. He's the fourth person to hold the role under Sir Keir Starmer. The old levers of PR clearly aren't working and there seems to be a general bafflement has to how to get the public onboard. Put simply, is Downing Street now beyond PR? On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, how Buckingham Palace is rapidly changing its PR game. Widely criticised for being too slow to react to the scandal around Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the Palace is going on the front foot - with two statements that would've been inconceivable just months ago. Plus there's nothing like a formal letter from the Government to put you in the mood for love. That's the hope anyway. In France, all 29-year-olds are being written to - to remind them of their duty to have babies. As you might expect, there's been something of a backlash. Producer: Duncan Middleton Editor…

People in this episode

Hosts: David Yelland, Simon Lewis

Topics covered

  • PR
  • politics
  • communication
  • public relations
  • government
  • media

Keywords

  • Prime Minister
  • communication
  • public relations
  • Buckingham Palace
  • France
  • Tim Allan
  • Keir Starmer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Buckingham Palace, BBC Radio 4

Places: France

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