Crisis PR expert Hemus discusses Gordon Brown's latest faux pas
Following Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s gaffe today - he described a woman as ‘bigoted’ without having turned his microphone off first - crisis PR professional Jonathan Hemus spoke to The Drum about how costly such a mistake could be for his image.
Brown was speaking to Gillian Duffy while being filmed live on television in Rochdale. Mrs Duffy questioned the Prime Minister on immigration, pensions and the economy.
He spoke to her before departing in his car, where, having not removed his microphone, he was recorded describing the interview as ‘a disaster’ and referring to Mrs Duffy as a ‘bigoted woman’.
“This will be extremely damaging to him,” Hemus said. “What it’s doing is undermining all of the carefully planned communication and messaging that all of the spin doctors have prepared with an unguarded and authentic comment which undermines all of the gloss. It is seriously damaging to his reputation.”
Brown made an apology during his next interview on the Jeremy Vine programme, where a Tweet sent from one of the show’s producers said that Brown had his head in his hands while discussing it.
Hemus said that there was little else Brown could do following the incident.
“All he can do, which he already has done, is to say ‘sorry’ because he can’t take the comment back and he can’t say that he didn’t say it, because he clearly did.
"His only recourse is to say ‘sorry’ and, as quickly as he can, move back onto the topics that he wants to talk about, but he’s going to find that extremely difficult and obviously the timing, 24 hours ahead of the final leadership debate is also going to make it doubly difficult because there is 100 percent guarantee that he will be questioned on it again tomorrow.
"Without the Leadership Debate it might have gone to bed within 24 hours. It’s undoubtedly going to be brought up again following the debate tomorrow though. It’s a pretty damaging blow.”
Hemus added that the strategy of Brown’s communications team, trying to portray him as a likeable person, is flawed – and that it was now too late to follow the more suitable route of portraying his as a capable Prime Minister instead.
“Cameron and Clegg are portraying the nice guy image. They’re portraying the smooth and professional image. In order to provide a contrast of a grittier, more down-to-earth Gordon Brown, would probably be the best strategy. In the previous leadership debate, the gravitas that he conveyed with a less polished style was actually quite effective. That said, the damage to his standing and reputation caused by his actions over the last couple of years mean that pretty much whatever he does now, in communication terms is not going to get people to love him at this stage of the game.”
An invitation to Mrs Duffy to meet with the Prime Minister again in order for him to apologise in person has been extended by the director of Government relations, Sue Nye.