The venue is booked.
The audience is invited.
There is a speech to deliver.
And all you’ve got is a blank piece of paper.
There is someone who can help.
Jessica Cunniffe MBE has been writing speeches for 15 years.
She has written for prime ministers, FTSE 100 CEOs, cabinet ministers, MPs, entrepreneurs and TedX speakers.
She helps speakers to say what they want to say, in the best possible way.
Got to give a speech? Speak to Jess.
About Jessica Cunniffe
Jess started her speechwriting career in Parliament and then Conservative Campaign Headquarters. She continued to write speeches in the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as special adviser to Baroness Warsi before moving to 10 Downing Street. She spent three years as speechwriter and special adviser to prime ministers David Cameron and then Theresa May, during which she penned David Cameron’s 2015 address to party conference. More recently she helped to write his bestselling autobiography, For the Record, described by the Telegraph as "well-written and lucid" and by the Sunday Times as "the political memoir of the decade".
Jess has spoken at the University of Cambridge about speechwriting and appeared on stage at the University of Oxford in conversation with Sarah Hurwitz, speechwriter to the Obamas. She returned to Oxford in 2023 to deliver a speech on writing memoir and to Cambridge in 2024 to interview President Obama's former speechwriter, Sarada Peri. She regularly delivers workshops to people looking to develop their speechwriting and communication skills. She has ghost-written prime ministerial op-eds for every major UK national newspaper. She commentates on speeches in the media, from BBC Newscast to Times Radio and Bloomberg. Prior to speechwriting she was a local newspaper journalist.
Testimonials
Jess worked with me on a range of high-profile DPM speaking moments, from the UN General Assembly to PMQs to keynotes on AI, national security and international investment. It’s always a joy to work with Jess; she relishes the chance to get to the heart of an issue, explain the complicated, meet the tightest deadlines and come up with pithy lines that will lead the day. She does all this with humour, enthusiasm and dedication to her work. I recommend her services highly.
Sir Oliver Dowden CBE MP
Former Deputy Prime Minister
Jess Cunniffe is a top professional. Trust me. First of all, she can really write copy, and really write speeches. And surprisingly few people can do this, understanding rhythm, getting the voice of their subject, knowing how to be concise. And the other reason she is at the top of the game is that she is prompt, does what she says and is nice about it. I totally get why the people who hire her, rave about her.
Certainly, for me, working with her was an excellent experience in every respect. When David Cameron hired Jess, I told him it was transformative. And if you look at the reviews for copy she helped him with, you’ll see I was right.
Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE
Associate editor and columnist at The Times
Jess is a superb writer with incredible attention to detail, supported by a thoughtful intelligence that is really interested not just in how you say something but what exactly you are trying to say and why. I couldn't recommend her highly enough.
Jeremy Hunt
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer
I can recommend Jessica Cunniffe wholeheartedly and endorse her without hesitation. She and I worked together on an extremely complex, politically sensitive and high-profile book, under considerable time-pressure. Jess is a skilled, sophisticated writer. She has the ability to capture voice and to write engagingly about personal issues, political policy and motivations. Her prose is clear, lively and intelligent.  She is a delight to work with – fun, intelligent, creative and collaborative. She always hits her deadlines and comes armed with solutions to any problems that arise. We worked closely together over a period of 18 months-two years. She’s the first person I’d turn to for any writing project – book, article or speech.
Arabella Pike
Publishing director at HarperCollins
A speechwriter’s greatest skill is listening. Jess listens intently - both to what you want to say and to how exactly you say things, producing speeches and articles that truly capture a speaker’s thoughts but also their essence. Fast-thinking, fun and full of original ideas, she always finds the words to help varied subject matter cut through and complex concepts make sense. Over our many years of collaboration - on everything from speeches with a two-hour turnaround to projects spanning years - Jess has demonstrated her knack for crafting compelling arguments and killer lines. I can recommend her services to anyone who is looking for first-class writing support.
Lord David Cameron
Former Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary
Services
Speechwriting
Whether you need a speech written from scratch or your existing script to be made punchier and pithier, Jess can help. She’ll work to your deadline to make sure you step up to the podium with the confidence that you are delivering something that is engaging, effective and uniquely you.
Copywriting
Op-eds, articles, posts, forewords, reports, books - Jess can turn her hand to any form, for any occasion, in any voice. From brainstorming to drafting, writing, editing and proofreading, she will produce the copy that gets your message across.
Training
Jess regularly delivers workshops to organisations looking to learn the art of rhetoric. After her half-day sessions, attendees become better speakers, better speechwriters and better communicators, approaching their work with renewed confidence in what they say and how they say it.
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