The many perils of spin doctors going off-message

Running a government may be fraught with risk, but there is no horror like a spokesperson who fails to rise to the occasion, writes Sean O’Grady

Thursday 29 July 2021 21:50 BST
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<p>Allegra Stratton got ‘rinsed’ for suggesting small steps to save the planet</p>

Allegra Stratton got ‘rinsed’ for suggesting small steps to save the planet

Poor Allegra Stratton. A talented journalist who somehow found herself entangled in the vipers’ nest that is Downing Street (well, actually she applied to join the “team”) has run into a little controversy, if not ridicule, for tweeting about helpful tips to save the planet – such as not rinsing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.

This “little step” from the official spokesperson for the Cop26 climate conference seems ridiculously trivial in the context of the impending end of life on Earth, and betrays a perhaps unrealistic assumption that all households possess such an expensive asset as a non-human dishwasher. Stratton earns £125,000 per annum.

Originally hired to front up televised No 10 press conferences at the behest of Boris Johnson – reportedly with the enthusiastic support of the current Mrs Johnson – Stratton never had the chance to offer her “Top Tips” from the prime ministerial podium, and has been relegated to the important but (supposedly) less exposed role in respect of Cop26.

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