My Verdict on the PM’s Kuenssberg Interview
Keir Starmer’s interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday was in many ways more important than his set-piece conference speech. At conference, he speaks to his party; from the studio, he was speaking to the electorate — and a combative, barely respectful interviewer.
Our advice – answer the questions
We always advise people to answer the question before shoehorning in prepared messages, but it is clear why this might not work with Kuenssberg. Once she gets an answer, she rushes on to the next tough question. Neither strategy would be entirely satisfactory, but we would advise more direct answers.
Perhaps more damaging was the Prime Minister’s lack of authority. Kuenssberg at times looked like a bully, while the man running the country sounded evasive and defensive. It is hard to deal with this interviewing style, but David Lammy and James Cleverly do better, to name but two. Both manage to maintain more authority.
Donkey-field answer was well prepared
In one area, the preparation really shone through – that was on the donkey-field question. For those who have missed this, Starmer, 20 years ago, bought a field adjacent to his parents’ home so his dying mother could see and touch her donkeys. Some sections of the press have had scent of another property/trust/tax avoidance scandal. But when Kuenssberg asked whether a Trust was set up to dodge inheritance tax on the donkey field, the answer was clear: there was no Trust. And the story told had plenty of human detail. I also noticed that the Prime Minister slowed down on this point, and he did sound dismissive and more in control.
One of the stand-out quotes from the interview was that Starmer believes Reform’s proposal to end the right to remain for settled immigrants was ‘immoral and racist’. Watching the video carefully, it’s clear this was a quote constructed by Kuenssberg rather than prepared ahead of time. Although Starmer agreed and repeated the words, they were introduced by the interviewer, not by him. This is the strongest line from the interview and grabbed all the follow-up publicity.
But Starmer’s team did come up with their own prepared quotes – always important in any interview.
On mumblings about a leadership challenge, the line was: ‘it always happens, it’s in the job description.’ And also, ‘now is not the time for navel gazing.’ On the possibility of raising VAT, the answer was: ‘The manifesto stands’ – more of a reactive line than a prepared quote, but it will be quoted ad nauseam anyway.
The one that got away
But the one quote I think he would have wanted to see as a headline was about what he is calling ‘patriotic renewal’ and the fight for a tolerant country. He said, ‘It’s a fight we must begin, a fight we must win.’ (For those who have been through The Media Coach message-building process, this is ‘sizzle’, that is, a rhyming contrasting pair.) The spin doctors will be disappointed that this did not make the write-ups or the follow-up discussions.
At The Media Coach, we coach people likely to face hostile interviews (as well as any other sort of interview). If it’s something we might be able to help you with, email us at enquiries@themediacoach.co.uk or phone 020 7099 2212.
Donkey Image – Alex Armstrong @alexharmstrong, X
Lindsay Williams is based in London but runs training sessions in multiple time zones, including the US, Europe, Africa and Asia, working online or travelling to host small and large scale training events. With 20 years of experience as a communications consultant with corporations and international organisations, Lindsay also runs Personal Impact Training and Pitching Via Zoom courses.
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