I worked for Jacob Rees-Mogg – it was hard dealing with a celebrity

Meeting My New Secretary Of State Always Makes Me Nervous

July 4, 2024 at eleven-nineteen in the morning (Updated eleven-fifty-eight am)

No matter how often it occurred, I always felt anxious when meeting the new secretary of state for the first time during my four years as a government director of communications.

This feeling was frequently made worse by the suddenness of a reshuffle or change. It can be very emotional – I have collaborated with ministers and political advisers whom I have a good relationship with, and have had a great time managing their communication efforts. However, in what seems like a short amount of time, they are gone without the opportunity for a proper farewell.

I have experience working in both the Science, Innovation and Technology Department and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department. It is sometimes easy to predict who the new minister will be, especially if they have shown interest in the topic. However, there are also times when you have no idea who the new minister will be until they actually arrive at the department.

This election is a bit different because we already have a good idea of what the outcome will be. The latest Survation MRP poll indicated a 99% chance of a Labour landslide victory. Additionally, Keir Starmer's team appears to be planning on keeping most shadow cabinet members in their current positions.

This is as close to a sure thing as you can get in the world of Civil Service planning. It's definitely more notice than I had when I transferred to the Science and Technology Department. I only had enough time to bring my dad from Leeds to take care of my dog, which was a 2 hour and 20-minute train journey away.

When a new minister is chosen, they typically follow a specific order of meetings. First, they meet with their parliamentary private secretary, who acts as their top adviser and oversees their private office. Next, they meet with the Permanent Secretary, who is the department's CEO, followed by the director of communications (my role).

This means there aren't many people you can talk to before the meeting, but if the minister has moved from a different department, you probably already have a detailed summary on WhatsApp from another government colleague. You may expect a "pleasant, effective communicator," but I once received feedback that said they didn't understand the purpose of government communications.

Next, the meeting starts. It's important to demonstrate that you have your own ideas, but also that you are open to hearing theirs. You should acknowledge that there has been a change and be prepared to meet their needs right away, even if you aren't sure what they are yet.

Actually, you and your team have dedicated a lot of time, possibly even years, creating content that matches the tone of another person, setting up events that your former boss would like, and remembering how they prefer to prepare for the media. And that's not even considering their mistakes in writing or discovering that the article you pitched for them was for a publication they had a disagreement with back in 2013 over a local planning matter.

Social media can be tricky. The simple question of "how do you use social media?" has produced a wide range of responses, from "I don't use social media" to "I only post content that I think will become popular."

One of my earliest successful attempts at social media promotion was convincing Grant Shapps to give an impromptu pitch in the elevators of the Business Department on his second day as business secretary in 2022. While I thought it was a great idea, some of my colleagues may not have felt the same way. We ended up shutting down the elevator in the seven-story building during lunchtime and blocking the reception area to film the pitch.

When Jacob Rees-Mogg showed up with a large number of followers on X/Twitter, it greatly boosted our explainer videos about Liz Truss's new energy initiatives, reaching a wide audience. However, we did not anticipate that his popularity would lead to challenges while filming on the street. This included intrusive photos of civil servants and frequent interruptions from onlookers, a change from our usual interactions with ministers.

For individuals who are starting out in their roles as ministers and taking on departmental responsibilities for the first time, one significant transition they often experience is a shift from having the freedom to conduct press interviews with minimal consequences from central office for speaking off message, as they work on developing their own reputation and personal brand. However, this dynamic has changed under the previous government, leading to a reduction in this freedom.

It's the part of the first meeting that I don't particularly like – and it's important to bring it up early so that everyone is aware – informing them that all media is now managed by a central system governed by the Prime Minister's office. They have the final say on whether or not communication plans are approved.

For ministers who prefer to avoid the spotlight, this is a convenient way for them to decline interviews. But for those eager to engage with the public, it can be a challenging balancing act between the minister's schedule, the media's desire for a story, and No 10's strategic media planning.

You can touch on internal communications, which likely involves organizing an event for all staff members. You can also mention any significant campaigns that the department is running, like those related to public health or, as in my case, a campaign to lower the temperature on your boiler. It's important to clarify to people that this adjustment doesn't mean making your home colder. The goal is to help people save money on their bills, not to control how they live their lives.

Like many new positions, the initial meeting can be intimidating, followed by the beginning weeks and months where you must adjust from your previous methods of communication and align with your new boss's preferences. I departed shortly after the election announcement for a fresh start in the field of technology and science communication. However, there is optimism for my former coworkers in the near future.

If Labour is successful in winning, Starmer has mentioned that he plans to have fewer reshuffles and less frequent changes to ministers. This means that tomorrow's "Day One" could potentially be the final one for a significant amount of time.

Abigail Morris works as an associate partner at Shearwater Global. She previously held positions as the director of communications at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, as well as at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.