10 Downing Street lecterns

Keir Starmer's first speech using his predecessor's lectern (2024)

In recent times, a standardised lectern has been used by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, typically outside the door of 10 Downing Street, for addresses to the nation, the announcement of general elections, and resignation speeches.

The lecterns normally 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. ^{[1] [2]} They are made of wood, but also feature a metal core to ensure they are not blown over in the wind. ^[3] The lecterns are funded by the taxpayer and have cost as much as £4,175. ^[4]

Although Downing Street denied in October 2022 that each prime minister is allowed to order a new lectern, stating instead that they are "routinely updated", each Conservative prime minister since David Cameron has had their own design, which is considered symbolic of a prime minister's attempted public image. ^{[5] [6]}

History

Until 2010, prime ministers used generic lecterns, or simply used a microphone stand to deliver speeches outside number 10. ^[7] Conservative prime minister David Cameron was the first to have a custom-built and bespoke lectern, designed by his head of operations Liz Sugg to appear "statesmanlike," with a curved, flared column, lighter wood and glossy finish. ^{[7] [8] [6]} It was also the first to use the royal coat of arms on the front of its desk section. ^[7]

David Cameron making a speech with his, the first bespoke lectern (2010)

Theresa May and US President Donald Trump used lecterns designed for her tenure in a 2019 Downing Street press conference

Fiona Hill, Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff, allegedly designed the cedar wood lectern used by Theresa May to look "feminine". ^[8] Its base was unusually wider than its desk. ^[3] May used the lectern for frequent updates concerning Brexit negotiations, and for her resignation. ^[8] A sound engineer by the name of Tobias Gough received media attention for his physical attractiveness after setting up and testing the lectern for May's resignation speech, and was nicknamed "Hot Podium Guy". ^[9] Gough would later receive further attention for setting up the lecterns of subsequent prime ministers. ^{[10] [11]}

Boris Johnson's dark brown lecterns were used in press conferences about COVID-19 (2020)

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. ^{[7] [1] [6]} It was the first of these lecterns to be dark brown and the first to have a two-tiered base, and was designed to be more sturdy against Johnson thumping on it when he delivered speeches. ^[3] 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. ^[12]

Liz Truss spoke at her custom-built lectern during her resignation as Conservative leader and PM in 2022

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. ^[4] The main lectern, paid for by the government, cost £4,175 to make ^[4] 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. ^{[8] [13]} On her first day in office, the lectern was covered in a black bin bag due to the rain. ^[6] 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. ^[8] Initially, the lectern's design was intended to incorporate wood from trees around the UK, but this was deemed too expensive. ^[1] The Daily Telegraph , The Guardian and Evening Standard likened the lectern's design to Jenga blocks. ^{[8] [7] [11]} 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." ^[4]

Rishi Sunak's lectern features the same top as Truss', but uses a simple straight column (2024)

Due to the quick completion of the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Rishi Sunak's lectern was not custom-built for his tenure. ^[8] Instead, Sunak used a lectern from the previous leadership which had cost £3,050. ^[4] The lectern was notably similar to that of his predecessor, but was made with a lighter wood, appeared to be slightly smaller, and had a straight column rather than Truss' curved block design. ^[14] Beth Rigby of Sky News described the lectern as "solid and stable". ^[6]

In his first speech at 10 Downing Street following the 2024 general election on 5 July 2024, incoming Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer made use of the same lectern that Sunak used during his tenure. It is unclear whether Starmer will continue the tradition of prime ministers using a unique lectern. ^[3]

See also

• Presidential lecterns of the United States
• Prime Ministerial Car
• Larry (cat)

References

1. Mason, Mark (4 November 2022). "What a PM's podium says about them". The Spectator . Retrieved 25 June 2023.
2. Leftly, Mark (19 April 2017). "Even Theresa May's Own Lawmakers Had No Idea About the UK's Snap Election". Time . Retrieved 25 June 2023.
3. Barton, Alex (5 July 2024). "Keir Starmer uses same lectern as Rishi Sunak to give election victory speech". The Daily Telegraph . ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 5 July 2024.
4. Adu, Aletha (18 January 2023). "Liz Truss Jenga-style podium cost taxpayers £4,175". The Guardian . London. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 24 June 2023.
5. Elliott, Martha (26 October 2022). "A brief history of the Downing Street lectern". Wallpaper . Retrieved 25 June 2023.
6. Hayes, Andy (25 October 2022). "New PM, new lectern: Sunak goes for 'solid and stable' after Truss's twisting 'Jenga' tower". Sky News . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
7. Wainwright, Oliver (25 October 2022). "Strong and stable? Maybe, maybe not. What we can learn from No 10's cavalcade of lecterns". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 24 June 2023.
8. Diver, Tony; Davies, Gareth (25 October 2022). "Why Rishi Sunak has to use an old lectern instead of designing his own". The Daily Telegraph . London. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 24 June 2023.
9. Speare-Cole, Rebecca (24 May 2019). "Handsome 'podium guy' outshines Theresa May at resignation speech". Evening Standard . London. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
10. Plummer, Kate (7 July 2022). "The 'sexy' lectern man is back and people are swooning". Indy100 . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
11. Bulbul, Nuray (26 October 2022). "Jenga-style lectern replaced and hot podium guy makes return to No 10". Evening Standard . Retrieved 24 June 2023.
12. Giordano, Chiara (7 July 2022). "Lectern appears outside Number 10 as Boris Johnson poised to step down". The Independent. London. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
13. Stevens, John; Isgin, Kieran (19 January 2023). "Liz Truss' personalised 'Jenga' lectern cost taxpayers £4,000". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 26 June 2023.
14. "Rishi Sunak swaps Liz Truss' 'Jenga tower' lectern for plainer podium". ITV News . 25 October 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2024.