Senior figures across the PR industry are forecasting the passing of the age of political spin following the MPs expenses scandal.
The prevailing opinion amongst speakers and delegates at the recent PR on the Edge conference in London suggested that the era of spin in party politics was coming to an end, as the electorate demands a clearer correlation between what politicians say and what they actually do.
Guest speaker Damon Jones, who handled PR for the Democratic National Convention, said that one of the lessons from the Obama campaign was that product truth and perception now needed to be one and the same.
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt signalled a similar watershed moment in British politics by admitting that confidence in MPs was now so low that the public no longer gave much regard to what politicians had to say.
The digital age has brought improved public access to information and given the public greater power to voice their opinions, making it increasingly difficult for politicians to manage their reputations on rhetoric alone.
This could present an exciting new dawn for PR professionals tasked with managing the reputation of our politicians, which is likely to give them increased influence in what MPs actually do and not just in what they say.