BBC Radio 4 Today programme: Conservative Leadership Campaign
Verbatim, 10th May 2019
Nick Robinson: And they’re off. Rory Stewart, Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom, Matt Hancock, Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab, Boris Johnson of course – there are now almost as many runners in the race to be the next Tory leader, the next Prime Minister of this country probably, as there are in the Grand National. To look forward to all of that, if that is the right word, we’re joined by two people who know how it’s done – how you win such a race. Jo Tanner is chief executive of InHouse communications and helped Boris Johnson to become Mayor of London back in 2008, and Line Kristensen was head of strategic campaign planning for the Tory party until 2017 – welcome to you both. Jo, first of all, is it all about the rubber chicken circuit as it used to be 20 years ago or is that all out of date now and you have to do it all on social media instead?
Jo Tanner: I think there's a bit of a combination Nick. I think the challenge that most leadership contenders forget is that the way the battle works for the Tory crown is that you have to get on board your colleagues first. It isn't about the general public, it isn't even about the grassroots. It's about those colleagues in the House of Commons and the reality is that for every one of those rubber chicken dinners, those associations that you were going to go and visit and speak to the party faithful when you went to someone else's constituency, for every one of those that you might have cancelled at the last minute or you didn't accept the kind invitation to go and speak - those things can cause problems for your colleagues particularly actually the ones that are cancelled because you sell a load of tickets. The association gets very excited and suddenly that MP lets you down. And believe me MPs do hold grudges.
Nick Robinson: Well I think that many of the great names who didn't become leader whether it's a David Miliband or a Michael Heseltine or a Denis Healey, it is often Jo because they snub their colleagues - their colleagues felt belittled by them.
Jo Tanner: And the thing is is that this leadership contest is also about individual politicians who are looking and thinking can I work in that person's administration? Do I have a chance of getting a job? Which means it's not just about whether you actually like them and you can align your politics but actually whether you could serve under them as a leader and as you quite rightly point out, this is not just about the Tory leadership. This is actually about being prime minister so there is a long list of individuals who will have and will have you know probably a little book effectively that they could get out and say well actually so-and-so let me down on this or even I had a policy that I wanted to discuss - Michael Gove's done a cracking job of getting his colleagues onside by holding these little surgeries in Parliament where he allows people to go ...(interrupted)
Nick Robinson: Let’s bring in Line now – Line Kristensen
Line Kristensen: No. So I think Jo has a great point there. But what we have to remember is with this many candidates likely to take part this time around, it is more likely than not that it is going to be the party members who is going to decide who the next leader of the Conservative Party will be and obviously that takes a fair amount of time to plan for. Any candidates who aren't planning for the second stage of the contest are simply doing themselves a disservice.
Nick Robinson: just to remind people of the rules, Tory MPs get to choose the last two and the last two if they’re right is a last two, remember last time there wasn't - everybody pulled out other than Theresa May, goes to the membership - so Line that means in your world and social media is particularly your thing, it is now more do you think about social media than it is about, for example, going to people's association dinners and raffles.
Line Kristensen: I think it's a combination. So I think social media is part of that but I think you've got to have a very good digital strategy overall. So, of course, it's great that you have 100,000 likes on Facebook. But you know in terms of this contest if only a thousand of those are Conservative Party members actually that doesn't matter much so it's important that you also build up your other technical infrastructure in order to track who the members are, are they on side, do they need to be persuaded and really who are likely to go out there and really support you and recruit others.
Nick Robinson: Only got about a minute left. Let's do some goods and bads then you know is, Jo, posing with your wife and it has so far been wives and girlfriends that have posed with candidates good or bad – naff?
Jo Tanner: I think it's fairly necessary but remember taking people round your house is fraught with danger as Ed Miliband found out when we discovered he had a second kitchen.
Nick Robinson: Yeah. Never never good. What do you think Line – would you do that?
Line Kristensen: I think it's all part of creating the content but what really matters and what the membership care about is their own concerns and that they really want to vote for a candidate who puts them first
Nick Robinson: Weekend clothes Jo - do you put on a jumper or just stick to the suit?
Jo Tanner: You have to you have to tread very carefully here. We've seen MPs that have been caught out by the red cords - Boris had a terrible donkey jacket used to wear a lot. There is something to be said for how people can tread carefully in the smart casual world. So I think take some advice before you proceed.
Nick Robinson: Line - advice from people like you would be?
Line Kristensen: Would be: start early, build up a targeted grassroots campaign that combines both offline and digital.
Nick Robinson: Line Kristensen, Jo Tanner - thank you very much indeed.