Encouraging trust in a time of uncertainty

This time last year, we wrote a piece for Labour in Communications on the theme of trust. Trust in MPs, trust in business and, more specifically, trust in Keir Starmer’s Labour party barely a year into his leadership. 

Labour is in a much better position when it comes to trust than it was 12 months ago. It does not take an expert in party preference polling to know that an average 4-point lead is much better than an 8-point deficit. 

While questions are being raised by some commentators who argue that Labour’s lead should be greater, what is not captured in these figures is the fundamental shift that has taken place in the trust that the public are willing to put in the Prime Minister.  

“A buffoon, a joke, an idiot and, worst of all, a liar.”

“No credibility… he’s lost control”

“A hypocritical clown.”

These are just some excerpts from Kekst CNC’s most recent focus group of swing voters, conducted for Times Radio. 

Despite a narrowed gap in recent polls, comments such as these have remained constant in the wake of the many Partygate scandals. While the attention of the mainstream media and the public has rightly shifted to the devastating invasion of Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis, the feeling of trust in this Government has been eroded. 

Distrust is now the lens through which the public sees the Conservative Party. 

The repercussions of Partygate will undoubtedly continue to grab headlines, but what is most important for Labour is to cement this shift. Now the party’s unerring focus should be on explaining why the public can trust Labour to deliver for the British people, at a time of real uncertainty.  

Whether in politics or business, leadership is more often about outcomes than it is than values. Developing a core proposition for the public in order to build their trust requires a focus on delivery. 

Take, for example, Labour’s pledge to boost investment in the UK's transition to net zero by £28 billion a year. 

Trust in this pledge hinges on whether or not members of the public believe that Labour are committed to the threat of climate change - the biggest fear in the minds of the British people, according to the Munich Security Index.  

It also depends on members of the public trusting that Labour can secure the future of an affordable, reliable energy supply, through the mass scale of up homegrown, renewable sources and by weaning the country off of hydrocarbons. 

And then there will have to be trust in the idea that Labour can support future jobs for communities across the country, doubling down on the benefits of the high-paid, high-skilled, sustainable employment opportunities that the energy transition can bring, in the face of scepticism from the Tory backbenches. 

Labour must focus on these clear outcomes, encouraging members of the public to trust in the party’s vision in the face of uncertainty, to be able to rebuke the claims of fiscal irresponsibility that will inevitably come from the Conservative party when this £28 billion pledge is discussed closer to the General Election. 

Clearly articulating the benefits of Labour policy in action will be essential to ensuring Labour’s continued strength in the polls. With trust in this Government severely weakened and at a time of national insecurity, the party must focus relentlessly on establishing trust in the policy solutions it has to offer.  

Matthew Burton and Eleanor Cavill
Kekst CNC