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The reaction was near-unanimous. The Oval Office monstering doled out a week ago to Volodymyr Zelensky by Donald Trump and JD Vance had torpedoed the carefully choreographed diplomatic charm offensive by Prime Minister Starmer and President Macron with their own trips to pay homage to the US President.
Ukraine’s hopes of further US support were in tatters. Zelensky was badly in need of a show of solidarity from European leaders. And they obliged: a rush of social media posts proclaimed unwavering support came forth from chancelleries across the continent.
With one notable exception. There was nothing from Downing Street. Where was Starmer? Commentators were aghast – what on earth was the Prime Minister up to? Was his absence from the pitch a personal decision, another failure by his much-criticised communications machine, or a bit of both?
In fact, the PM and his team were working non-stop behind the scenes on a diplomatic repair job, with Starmer speaking personally both to Trump and Zelensky ahead of the Ukrainian president flying to London. There was some careful overnight briefing which helped some political reporters tell a more nuanced story – but it was not an argument which could easily, or usefully, be made in a 280-word post on X.
The next day the PM’s team played their trump (sorry) card and the decision to hold their nerve paid dividends. Dressed in his trademark black fatigues, Zelensky strode up Downing Street, cheers from Ukrainian flag-waving supporters ringing in his ears, for an embrace with a smiling Starmer.
The contrast with the scowling and finger pointing of the Oval Office could not have been starker and the following day’s newspaper front pages were the best Starmer had enjoyed since his election victory.
Sunday brought fresh success. While Zelensky met the King at Sandringham, the PM gave one of his best interviews to Laura Kuenssberg for her BBC show, letting his impatience with politicians who spoke big but delivered little shine through and giving voters a rare glimpse of the emotions and values that drive this somewhat buttoned-up leader.
The result was that this week we’ve seen the numbers begin to shift, very slowly and from a low base, in favour of the PM and Labour. Starmer’s popularity went up while Nigel Farage’s fell. The Tories and Lib Dems had no choice but to fall in behind the Prime Minister at a time of acute international peril.
Of course, the splintering of the world order and the possible collapse of NATO will provide supreme challenges ahead, and Starmer will be judged at the next general election on his domestic efforts – and that is an area where his government still has to find a coherent and credible narrative.
But this was a major comms crisis right at the centre of a major international crisis and the PM and his team prevailed. In the heat of the moment it pays to hold your nerve and resist the clamour for instant comment. If you are wise enough to see the crucial importance of a communications battle plan, you need to stick to it.
Patrick Hennessy, former Director of Communications for Sadiq Khan, is a Senior Director at Hanover and is part of our Executive Media Unit - created to help CEOs and leaders engage with the full breadth of today’s media landscape.