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The latest public affairs and politics news, opinion and features.
Got a story? Contact Ian Griggs on 020 8267 4893 or ian.griggs@haymarket.com.
News and news analysis
Industry distances itself from Cambridge Analytica behaviour as MPs call for 'strategic comms' regulation
The public affairs industry has distanced itself from bad actors involved in the Cambridge Analytica scandal and warned that removing the self-regulation of law abiding lobby firms would be counterproductive, following a parliamentary inquiry's recommendation that independent regulation is required.
"The website looks like a GCSE project": PR pros take on launch of The Independent Group
PR pros and industry leaders believe The Independent Group has a major comms challenge on its hands if it wants to avoid being a Brexit flash-in-the-pan.
Facebook intentionally violates law, MPs warn in highly critical 'fake news' report
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee recommends 'hefty fines' if illegal content is found on Facebook or Google.
Brunswick appoints Freshfields' Brussels founder as senior advisor
Brunswick Group has strengthened its regulatory, competition and foreign investment practices with the appointment of John Davies, who joins as a senior advisor based in London and Brussels.
INHouse Communications hires ex-PM strategy chief and former Corbyn advisor
INHouse Communications has hired Theresa May's former director of strategy and chief speechwriter Chris Wilkins alongside former Jeremy Corbyn advisor Paul Ovenden.
GoFundMe expands 89up brief to cover consumer PR and social
Global crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has appointed international communications agency 89up as its retained UK PR agency.
Lynton Crosby's lobbying firm pitched £5.5m campaign to pressure FIFA to 'terminate' Qatar World Cup
Conservative strategist Lynton Crosby (pictured) pitched a £5.5m lobbying campaign to pressure FIFA into cancelling the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to a report in The Guardian.
PRCA appoints Leggetter as inaugural global president
The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has appointed former AMEC chief executive Barry Leggetter as its first international president, in an effort to build the body's global standing and reach.
Public Affairs Board releases new lobbying code of conduct
The Public Affairs Board (PAB) has published a new, unified Public Affairs Code for the industry, following an industry-wide consultation.
Which PR consultancies report the highest profits and staff costs?
The UK's largest comms agencies have grown profit margins for a fourth consecutive year and many have increased the amount of revenue they make per employee, according to Kingston Smith's annual survey of the top 40 PR consultancies.
WPP sells its stake in Richard Attias & Associates
The move is part of WWP's restructuring plans.
H+K UK hires ex-BAE strategy lead as head of public affairs
Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has appointed Scott Dodsworth to head up its public affairs team in the UK with a specific focus initially on the energy, industrials and defence sectors.
Watch: National Geographic rolls out 'missing (big) cat' poster with a difference
London's Paternoster Square is the latest location for a street poster of a missing moggy, but this time it's to raise awareness of a dramatically declining global lion population.
Tony Blair: 'CEOs should take a stand; social media should take initiative on regulation'
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged corporate leaders to take a stand on issues that align with their social purpose and warned social media giants to "take the initiative" on regulation.
Crowdfunding platform GoFundMe hires head of PR and partnerships
The world's largest crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has appointed Helen Dagley as head of PR and partnerships.
Nudge Factory hires former CIPR president to lead corporate comms
Corporate affairs consultancy Nudge Factory has strengthened its leadership team by hiring the former CIPR president, as well as a Conservative Party candidate, to head two practices.
Exclusive: Conservative Party appoints new director of communications
The Conservative Party has appointed Caroline Preston, David Cameron's former head of broadcasting, as its new director of comms.
Opinion and features
Three reasons why you should follow a four-day week
It's hard to believe that there's still taboo around mental health in the workplace, and it's even harder to believe that only a handful of companies have realised that unhappy, tired and under-appreciated staff aren't going to make you any money.
A digital content bubble is bursting - and we helped inflate it
So it's happened. The digital content 'bubble' has burst. From layoffs at Buzzfeed, Vice and HuffPost to The Pool going into administration, it turns out, startlingly, that there likely isn't a sustainable business model for giving away news for free online.
The environmental impact of your PR stunt can harm the brand
Throughout 2018 plastic waste embedded itself deeply in the public consciousness, thanks to efforts of environmental campaigners and programmes such as the BBC's Blue Planet II.
Bridging the reputation gap is a catalyst for business success
It is regularly said that we live in an era when businesses are more closely scrutinised than ever.
Five things I've learned since returning to corporate comms from maternity leave
It's been a year since I've left my little munchkins at home and returned to work after 10 months of maternity - how time flies.
Despite the skeptics, Davos is all business
Steve Barrett reports from the small ski resort in Switzerland that becomes the focal point of global politicians, businesspeople, and nonprofits for one week in January every year.
From the editor-in-chief: Polarising Gillette campaign a slightly clumsy leap in the right direction
We are only half way through January and 2019 has already given us a significant global corporate campaign to discuss.
President Trump's speech on border security: 6 PR pros weigh in
Politicos dish on whether or not Trump hit a wall with his address on Tuesday night.
Donald Trump: The PR president
For Trump, it's all about making the biggest, most audacious media splash in order to dominate the narrative or deflect the negative.
Public Affairs: Political predictions a fool's game (but I'm going to do it anyway)
Most political predictions made at the start of 2018 will have been proved horribly wrong. It's an even greater risk to make them for 2019.
Parental leave: let's not judge the different choices mums and dads make
Maternity leave. Paternity leave. Parental leave. They're all the same, right?
PR is in urgent need of a strong, independent research sector
The relationship between PR and research has always been controversial.
'Progressive' PR cannot be a feeble branding exercise; it just smacks of insincerity
In the wake of soul-searching by leading agencies on the nature of public relations, Robert Phillips writes for PRWeek exactly six years since he quit as boss of Edelman, proclaiming 'PR is Dead'.
The good, the bad, and the really ugly: lessons from the Khashoggi crisis
In an age where the pen is mightier than the lord, killing a man of faith is condemnable, but to kill a man of free speech... sacrilege.
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External Affairs Manager Department for International Trade London
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Associate Director - corporate communications advisory work and litigation at its very best The Works Search Ltd London
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Account Director/Associate Director - corporate/public affairs The Foundry - Original London (Central), London (Greater)
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Account Director, Healthcare - Geneva Office (Leading Network Firm) Lee-Roberts Search Geneva, Canton of Geneva (CH)
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Director, Healthcare - Major Account / Enormous scope (Global Network Firm) Lee-Roberts Search London (Central), London (Greater)
Recent public/corporate affairs people moves
H+K appoints former Edelman Netherlands leader as strategy director
Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has appointed Annemieke Nol as strategy director at H+K Netherlands.
ASDA'A BCW grows leadership team and eyes Saudi market
ASDA'A BCW has announced a number of new hires at the helm of its Middle Eastern operations as it eyes up its regional expansion, with a strong focus on the Saudi Arabia market.
Tulchan names ex-Conservative Party chairman as managing partner
Financial and corporate comms agency Tulchan has appointed former Conservative Party chairman Andrew Feldman as its managing partner.
Tesco names new comms director as Jane Lawrie steps down
Tesco's group communications director, Jane Lawrie, is stepping down at the end of this month to be replaced directly by Christine Heffernan, the retailer's corporate affairs chief in Ireland for the past five years, PRWeek can reveal.
Agency adds specialist firepower to team following 'flagship' pharma account win
WA Health has hired a new associate director and announced its win of the government affairs brief for Bayer's cardiovascular treatment.
Grayling hires ex-Boris Johnson adviser
Ben Gascoigne, a former adviser to Boris Johnson as both Foreign Secretary and Mayor of London, is joining Grayling UK as a director in its public affairs team.