Prime Minister Liz Truss speaks at her custom-built lectern during her resignation from government

Each Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since David Cameron has used a different custom-built lectern for speeches, usually outside 10 Downing Street. They are usually used for addresses to the nation, the announcement of general elections, and resignations, and are often symbolic of a prime minister's attempted public image.[1] The lecterns usually display the coat of arms of the United Kingdom for government business; when a speech concerns party political business, the coat of arms is removed.[2][3]

Prime Ministerial lecterns are usually custom-built for Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), tend to take around three weeks to make, and have costed between £2,000 and £4,000. CCHQ has sometimes ordered two lecterns for each tenure, keeping one and loaning the other to Downing Street.[4]

History

The lectern used by both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown was a simple microphone stand with office chair-style casters, sometimes with a shelf for notes.[5]

David Cameron's lectern was the first to be custom-built and bespoke, and was designed by his head of operations Liz Sugg to appear "statesmanlike," with a curved stand design and glossy wooden finish.[5][4] It was also the first to use the royal coat of arms on the front of its desk section.[5]

Theresa May announces her resignation at her lectern in 2019

Fiona Hill, Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff, allegedly designed the lectern used by Theresa May to look "feminine".[4] May used the lectern for frequent updates concerning Brexit negotiations, and for her resignation.[4]

The lectern made for Boris Johnson featured a triangular wedge-shaped stand and stepped plinth with a darker wood and sturdier design than May's lectern.[5][2] The placement of the lectern outside 10 Downing Street in July 2022 was seen by The Independent as an indication that he would soon resign.[6]

Two lecterns with the same design were made for Liz Truss; one paid for by the government and the other paid for by the Conservative Party.[7] The main lectern, paid for by the government, cost £4,175 to make[7] and was used for two addresses to the nation at 10 Downing Street, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the dismissal of Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer.[4][8] The CCHQ version of the lectern was given Union Jack stickers and was used for her victory speech following the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, as well as for a speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.[4] Initially, the lectern's design was intended to incorporate wood from trees around the UK, but this was deemed too expensive.[2] The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and Evening Standard likened the lectern's design to Jenga blocks.[4][5][9] In response to reporting by the Daily Mirror of the lectern's cost, Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner criticised the purchase, stating that the Conservative Party had "left taxpayers picking up the tab for this personalised lectern."[7]

Due to the quick completion of the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Rishi Sunak's lectern was not custom-built for his tenure.[4] Instead, Sunak used a lectern from the "previous administration" which had cost £3,050.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Elliott, Martha (2022-10-26). "A brief history of the Downing Street lectern". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  2. 1 2 3 Mason, Mark (2022-11-04). "What a PM's podium says about them". The Spectator. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  3. ↑ Leftly, Mark (2017-04-19). "Even Theresa May's Own Lawmakers Had No Idea About the UK's Snap Election". Time. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Diver, Tony; Davies, Gareth (2022-10-25). "Why Rishi Sunak has to use an old lectern instead of designing his own". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Wainwright, Oliver (2022-10-25). "Strong and stable? Maybe, maybe not. What we can learn from No 10's cavalcade of lecterns". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  6. ↑ Giordano, Chiara (2022-07-07). "Lectern appears outside Number 10 as Boris Johnson poised to step down". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Adu, Aletha; correspondent, Aletha Adu Political (2023-01-18). "Liz Truss Jenga-style podium cost taxpayers £4,175". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  8. ↑ Stevens, John; Isgin, Kieran (2023-01-19). "Liz Truss' personalised 'Jenga' lectern cost taxpayers £4,000". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  9. ↑ Bulbul, Nuray (2022-10-26). "Jenga-style lectern replaced and hot podium guy makes return to No 10". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
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