The Prawn Cocktail Offensive was the scornful name given to the British Labour Party's success (while in opposition in the 1990s) in winning trust and backing from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

financial sector Financial services are economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of service sector activities, especially as concerns financial management and consumer finance. The financ ...

. The Prawn Cocktail Offensive was executed under the Shadow Chancellorship of John Smith, who accompanied

Mo Mowlam Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar (UK Parliament constituency), Redcar f ...

on an extensive series of private lunches and conferences with City figures.

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...

's efforts to also win back the trust of the UK Financial sector has been described as a 'Prawn Cocktail Offensive 2.0'.

Origin of name

prawn cocktail Prawn cocktail, also known as shrimp cocktail, is a seafood dish consisting of shelled, cooked prawns in a Marie Rose sauce or cocktail sauce, served in a glass. It was the most popular hors d'œuvre in Great Britain, as well as in the United S ...

is a

seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...

entrée An entrée (, ; ), in modern French table service and that of much of the English-speaking world, is a dish served before the main course of a meal. Outside North America and parts of English-speaking Canada, it is generally synonymous with th ...

popular (but regarded as something of a luxury) in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. By the time of Smith and Mowlam's operations it had acquired unfortunate connotations of naffness. The combination of this dish with the well-known political phrase "

charm offensive Charm offensive may refer to: * ''Charm. Offensive.'', a 2017 album by Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! (sometimes styled Die!Die!Die!) is a three-piece New Zealand noise pop/Punk rock, punk/post-punk band. Formed in late 2003, the band has rele ...

" was a reference to the "lunching" involved in Smith and Mowlam's plans. The first use of the phrase "Prawn Cocktail Offensive" is currently unrecorded. Believed to be a creation of journalists, the nickname sprang from remarks by senior

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician

Michael Heseltine Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket Media Group in 1957. Heseltine se ...

, who in Parliament in February 1992 said:

References

History of the Labour Party (UK) 1990s in the United Kingdom {{UK-poli-stub