When Government Comms Go Off the Rails: Lessons from the Front Lines The adage that communication is key has become a cliché in politics, but what happens when leaders fail to get it right?
The recent episode of Independent TV's podcast "In The Room" featuring Lee Cain, former director of communications for Boris Johnson's government during the pandemic, offers a case study on the dangers of comms gone wrong.
Cain's tenure in No 10 was marked by policy induced chaos. For example, Johnson instructed people to avoid pubs while leaving them open – a gaffe that highlights the disconnect between government messaging and reality.