Can anybody
hear me?

Most government announcements forgotten after a day

Our analysis has found that major government policy announcements fade from public attention after 24 hours, raising questions over how effectively Whitehall communicates beyond Westminster.

The study, “Can Anybody Hear Me?” tracked Google search interest around fifteen flagship government announcements between January and July 2025. Despite careful sequencing through No. 10’s daily communications “grid”, public engagement proved fleeting, with the public’s interest peaking and plummeting almost instantly.

Most announcements only sustained interest for a day; a handful lingered beyond a day, and not one stretched to three days.

The exception to that rule is the more recent announcement on digital ID. Searches for “digital ID” peaked immediately during the announcement and stayed elevated for around three weeks, remaining above pre-announcement levels even now. That persistence is unusual compared to the rest. Most other policies fell back quickly: only free school meals, British Steel, fly tipping, apprenticeships and defence spending kept a slight residual interest which tailed off in days not weeks.

Not only has interest in digital ID endured much longer than any other announcement in our research set but it also completely dwarfs interest for other policies. At its peak, Google searches were around 20–50 times higher for digital ID than for any other flagship policy terms.

Methodology supported by Fenimore Harper communications, run by former Downing Street disinformation advisor.

“Digital ID is exactly the kind of clear dividing line that can define a government’s direction, but a dividing line only works if you’re prepared to fight on it. Ministers and MPs need to be equipped and confident in the story to take to voters on the doorstep.”

Labour’s TikTok game improving but still no match for Reform

Given that people are now just as likely to get their political news from social media as traditional news outlets, the report also analysed engagement on TikTok between January and July 2025, comparing official accounts from Labour and Reform UK.

Between January and July 2025, official TikTok accounts from the Labour Party and Reform UK reached millions of viewers. But despite posting nearly twice as often, Labour attracted lower reach and engagement than Reform UK:

Reform UK: 125 posts, 10.0 million views, 27.7k median views per post, 9.4% engagement
Labour: 240 posts, 8.5 million views, 9.9k median views per post, 6.1% engagement

“Mainstream politics is in the fight of its life. Yet our analysis shows that government communications are built for a world that no longer exists. You can’t fix things quietly and hope people notice in the last 6 months of an election campaign. Delivery only counts if people see it, hear it, feel it every day.

That means stepping out of the old comms comfort zone, not abandoning the big announcements, but matching that energy with a relentless, everyday campaign across multiple platforms. Government communications need to shift from announcements to connection."

Civil service comms teams continue to grow

The report also highlights that while government messaging struggles to cut through, Whitehall’s communications workforce continues to grow. Across civil service departments, the number of communications staff has risen by 5.4% in the past year.

Some of the biggest jumps include:

Cabinet Office: +40.3% (now 335 comms staff)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: +31.9% (360 staff)
Department of Health and Social Care: +29.8% (235 staff)
Ministry of Defence: +22.7% (860 staff)
Department for Culture, Media and Sport: +20% (50 staff)
Only a handful of departments have seen reductions - including Education (–14%) and Energy Security (–5.9%).