Prime Minister’s Questions is theatre by design. It rewards quick wit, punchy metaphors and lines which transcend the Commons chamber. Keir Starmer clearly came armed with all three, describing the Conservatives as “an IKEA shadow cabinet”, “something nobody wants to buy” and “mainly constructed of old dead wood”.
It’s a line that will have played well on social media and across friendly headlines. But from a communications perspective, it’s also a strange own goal.
By leaning on IKEA as a punchline, Starmer risks more than mild corporate irritation. Big brands are sensitive to how they’re referenced by politicians, particularly when those references carry negative connotations. Even if the target was the Conservatives, not the company, the association is unavoidable. Jokes are just jokes, sure, but the subtext becomes: IKEA equals cheap, disposable and unwanted. That’s not a message any investor wants casually attached to them by a Prime Minister.
And only the day before, the Prime Minister was happy to be photographed with IKEA executives in Croydon, using the brand as shorthand for investment, growth and confidence in the UK. IKEA is one of the most recognisable and commercially successful retailers in the world, employing thousands of people across the UK and contributing an estimated £2.25bn a year to the British economy. That’s not “flat-pack failure”, it’s a major economic partner.
There’s also a broader strategic issue. One of Labour’s central pitches has been stability, seriousness and respect for business. That means consistency of tone matters. You can’t, on the one hand, court international companies for photo opportunities and investment announcements, and on the other, use their name as a Commons-era insult the very next day. It muddies the signal.
None of this is to say that PMQs should be humourless. Sharp political jabs are part of the job. But the best political communicators understand collateral damage. They choose metaphors which land cleanly.
In communications, context is everything. When your punchline undercuts yesterday’s photo op, and tomorrow’s investment narrative, it’s fair to ask whether the laugh was really worth it.