Allegra Stratton - New PM Press Secretary

Have any of the broadcasters actually said they intend to regularly take it live? It seems more likely to me they’ll take it live when there’s an important announcement expected or the days news agenda calls for it, but more likely to broadcast clips/highlights most days?

The COVID briefings have often been presented as a direct message from PM/Ministers to the public, with journalists asking Qs. This sounds more likely to be press-focussed, simply moving behind the scenes briefings to a visual format that’s more tweetable?

No, they’ve not said they will. I doubt it will be shown on the news channels every day, and will instead be used for packages and reports.

Keir Starmer is mulling doing a monthly press conference.

I suspect that could move to weekly as a response to the government's new press relationship. I would assume the BBC would cover it live.

I'm sure both Downing Street and most likely most of the broadcasters will provide online live streams of it too. Probably getting more reach nowadays than if it was solely on the news channels anyway.

It's difficult to comprehend how anyone could look at the White House Press Conferences in recent years and think "they seem a good idea".

I just can't see these lasting long as I don't think the media, whatever their political persuasion, will really accept them. We've already seen the Coronavirus briefing become pretty much a Boris only affair with a couple of experts and I don't think viewers will accept a spokesman answering questions on behalf of a minister, especially the Prime Minsiter, and therefore political editors won't be too keen too. It also means anything which is "misspoke" can be passed off as the spokesperson not being fully informed.

As we've seen with the Coronavirus briefings the actual information they want to present often isn't the headline - it's how it is delivered and how ministers and appointed experts respond to questions, rather than the answers they may be trying to deliver, that tells the full story.

Wouldn't the briefing go out on BBC Parliament if non-news worthy

Only if Parliament wasn’t sitting, presumably?

Thought I read that these will only take place when Parliament is sitting?

The press briefings have been delayed, reportedly due to lockdown:

NEW: Downing Street has confirmed the start of @HMTAllegra's press briefings have been delayed due to lockdown.

Instead No10 will host at least three press conferences a week with Boris Johnson/other relevant ministers and scientific experts for the duration.

— Sebastian Payne (@SebastianEPayne) January 7, 2021