Sunak’s Secrecy Success: How Number 10’s Tight-Lipped Strategy Caught Labour Off-Guard Ahead of General Election

Sunak's administration at Number 10 has proven to be more adept at confidentiality compared to its predecessors.

Despite being taken by surprise with the announcement of the general election, Labour candidates seem quite satisfied with the developments thus far.

Assistant Political Editor @SamCoatesSky

Sunday, May 26, 2024, 8:

Just around the time of elections, forecasting political outcomes becomes increasingly difficult and uncertain. Campaigns bring about shifts in everything, including the rapid pace of news.

I use that as my justification for not having predicted the declaration of a general election in the previous week's Politics at Jack and Sam's session.

Several hints were dropped, including a particularly revealing tweet from Financial Times reporter Lucy Fisher, yet we failed to heed the signs.

👆 Tune in above, then click here to subscribe to the Politics at Jack and Sam's podcast on your preferred platform! 👇

In this episode of the Politics at Jack and Sam's podcast, we discuss how the current administration at Number 10 is significantly more adept at maintaining confidentiality compared to its predecessors.

As soon as an election is announced, the manner in which information is disseminated changes and the situation becomes more complex.

Latest on the General Election: Conservatives Criticize Starmer’s Endurance

Political news typically surfaces through various channels. These include activities in parliament, official statements from the government, and both written and oral inquiries. Additionally, MPs and ministers often engage in informal chats with journalists while roaming the halls of the Commons.

During election periods, transparency diminishes significantly. The emphasis shifts towards concealing strategies and information from opponents, with only a select few being privy to critical decisions and data.

Hence, it's impractical to continue with a weekly political forecast podcast; instead, we're shifting to a daily format. Stay tuned for more information.

Supporters of Rishi Sunak openly acknowledge that the decision on when to hold the general election involved careful deliberation, presenting valid arguments on both sides.

For an optimal video experience, consider using the Chrome browser.

A major factor that spurred Sunak to take action now was his belief that he was implementing significant initiatives, including welfare reforms, defense funding promises, and a plan for NHS staffing.

However, they discovered that the public was not paying attention and the opinion polls showed no significant changes. They attributed this lack of engagement to a general disinterest in political matters and a high level of apathy among the electorate. Consequently, this situation prompted the decision to call an election.

Another major factor was that by around March to early April, they started to receive internal economic data indicating that conditions such as inflation and interest rates might be advantageous enough to center a campaign on.

Interestingly, sources indicate that there was no specific "decision" meeting held either two months or even three weeks ago; rather, the shift occurred gradually, akin to the slow rise of the tide.

Stay ahead with the latest Breaking News

Download the Sky News application at no cost

Despite being somewhat unprepared — with some team members having scheduled vacation time, a general belief that no major events were expected this summer, and the campaign bus not yet in place — Labour candidates express satisfaction with the developments thus far.

The most significant test in the upcoming five weeks will be to observe if they can withstand the demands and intense scrutiny of the campaign, along with the unyielding demand for increased performance and results.

At present, the story goes that Sunak had a difficult beginning – soon, images of the Prime Minister in the rain might depict him as a determined underdog fighting a tough battle.

This may seem improbable at the moment, but from our experience during the 2017 campaign, we've learned that anything is possible.

Associated Subjects

Sky News Bottom Section

Information on Sky News

Services Provided by Sky News

Sky Network Channels

Additional Sky Websites