Campaigning

Energywatch – Stop Now!

Rush partner, Jonathan Rush, was seconded twice as Director of Communications to energywatch, the gas and electricity consumer watchdog, between 2001 to 2003. He played the lead role in the planning and direction of energywatch’s first major campaign Stop Now! to stamp out cowboy sales tactics by gas and electricity companies, which resulted in a large energy supplier being fined £1.5m and major changes in industry practice.

Business for Sterling

Shortly after the election of the New Labour government in 1997, Rush partner, Jonathan Rush, lead the consultancy team, which set up and ran for an initial period the leading anti-euro lobby group, Business for Sterling’s press office and provided public affairs advice. The new press office successfully launched Business for Sterling’s case document, contributed to a rise in the standard of media debate, secured a reputation among the media as an effective press office, and gained a high media profile for Business for Sterling’s new director. The press office was handed over to Business for Sterling’s full-time campaigners as an ongoing working operation.

War Widows

Rush partner, Peter Rose, advised the War Widows Association on its campaign to improve the pensions of war widows whose husbands died during the Second World War and who had been trying unsuccessfully to get the government to act on their concerns. The campaign brought together political lobbying, local and national media stories and events, and advertising. In a period of just six months the government agreed to the widows' demands. The campaign won a PR Week award for best political campaign.

The Right To Build

On behalf of fifteen housing associations, Rush partner, Jonathan Rush, ran the media relations side of campaign to stop proposed cuts in funding to housing associations under the last Conservative government. A particular challenge surrounded the lack of understanding of housing associations amongst the media and the low profile of housing associations at the time. The campaign secured many in-depth features in national broadsheets, including a supportive FT leader, as well as regular articles in the trade press. It was the first time that housing associations had gained national media coverage of an issue facing their sector.

Areatrade built