By Roz Morris, Managing Director, TV News London Ltd
Warning. Once you’ve read this blog you may find you’re permanently alert to an annoying phrase beloved of politicians. And I can assure you, you will keep on hearing it.
What is this annoying phrase?
It’s ‘at pace’ or in its full glory ‘working at pace’. That’s my nomination for bad political cliche of the year so far. But UK politicians keep on and on using this really rather irritating phrase.
They often say they are ‘working at pace’ on an issue where they know there is public concern.
When President Donald Trump came to visit Scotland, BBC news reported that a government spokesperson stated that the cabinet was ‘working at pace’ on the issue of food supplies in Gaza. The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said that supplies of food needed to go into Gaza ‘at scale and at pace’.
So what does ‘working at pace’ actually mean? Don’t the public have a right to assume that politicians are doing their best as fast as possible anyway? Is ‘at pace’ just code for: ‘we’re having a meeting this week or even today’; instead of putting things off in the normal civil service fashion for a week or so.
You’ll notice the politicians never say they are working at ‘a fast’ pace, and their use of this cliché never seems to speed things up.
Education Secretary Brigid Phillipson is a serial offender, and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is the latest ‘at pace’ user I’ve spotted. She was talking about what she described as ‘a catastrophic failure’ of judgement by the BBC over its broadcast of ‘How to survive a warzone’, a film about Gaza with a Palestinian teenage boy as narrator.
The BBC has just admitted in its own report that it committed a “serious” breach of editorial rules by failing to declare that the documentary was narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.
Lisa Nandy told BBC News: “I’ve had several meetings with them (the BBC). I believe that they are acting now at pace to put in place measures to make sure that this cannot happen again.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is a big fan of ‘working at pace’. She told the Commons recently: “On the Hillsborough law, we are working at pace to get the details right and to bring it before the House.”
On police accountability, in October 2024, she said: “I thank the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee for those important points. We are working at pace…” There are lots more ‘at pace’ examples online including both Labour and Conservative politicians.
In my media training courses I always advise that it’s OK to use a cliché if it makes your message stronger. And if you only use one cliche in your interview.
Does ‘at pace’ pass this test? I think not. I think it’s definitely a phrase to be avoided in media interviews
Once you’re alerted to politicians’ use of ‘at pace’, I guarantee you will keep hearing it. And I don’t think it means anything at all – do you?
Want to know more about how to do your best in your media interviews? Contact TV News London for advice on info@tvnewslondon.co.uk or book a free consultation with Roz.
For detailed expert advice and expert tips on preparing and delivering effective media interviews and presentations read my book The Visual Revolution Guidebook
