Andy Burnham joined Mo Farah for a jog through London as part of the gold medallist’s YouTube series. Photograph: Andy Burnham View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham joined Mo Farah for a jog through London as part of the gold medallist’s YouTube series. Photograph: Andy Burnham Labour The UK’s first TikTok PM? Andy Burnham channels Zohran Mamdani as he hits social media From Mo Farah to Bus Aunty, new prime minister makes good on promise to ‘do things differently’ when it comes to communication
Prefer the Guardian on Google They say a week is a long time in politics, but handily for followers of Andy Burnham on social media, you can get daily updates of what the new PM has been up to on his timeline.
Before Burnham stepped inside No 10 this week he promised to “do things differently” in British politics. If his feed is anything to go by, he’s already way ahead of his predecessor.
Burnham’s social media team have done away with the buttoned-up operation of Keir Starmer, opting instead for a style that has already drawn comparisons to another much more “online” politician: the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani.
Burnham’s TikTok page this week has revealed him to be a man (or at least a man who pays someone) who enjoys a meme, someone who comments with emojis, collaborates with influencers and chats policy while pouring a pint.
Noticeable were the policy announcements shot in primarily vertical videos, ideal for mobile phone consumption on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
“He’s gone all in on the TikTok style,” said Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University. “So far, he’s had some very simple, clear policy pledges that cut through.”
During the lead-up to his first day in No 10, Burnham’s team also released a 2.5-minute video of Burnham inviting people in Cardiff to “ask Andy anything” from addressing homelessness and social care to supporting pubs and the hospitality sector.
Searches for “Andy Burnham” on TikTok surged by more than 2,000% day on day in the UK when he became prime minister on Monday.
Burnham started off his first day with a handheld video outside a centre for the London-based homelessness charity The Passage, promising to end rough sleeping “at the first opportunity”. A “day one” montage posted later on, showing him inside The Passage, meeting his cabinet and speaking outside No 10, received more than 820,000 views.
His team also posted two prepackaged videos starring influencers and celebrities. Burnham joined Sir Mo Farah for a jog through London as part of the gold medallist’s YouTube series Run With Mo, which was reposted on Farah’s Instagram to his 1.9 million followers.
Social media is about content, of course but it’s also a numbers game. Burnham’s team showed that when they had him take part in the viral Career Ladder series, hosted by Ukrainian internet personality Max Klymenko, who has more than 9 million TikTok followers.
These collaboration deals offer Burnham “exposure” to new audiences and build a “constructed sense of authenticity” on the platform, said Chadwick. “Burnham has a brand to construct here. OK, big in the north-west of England, absolutely. But among most people, who don’t follow politics particularly closely, he’s got hard work to do.”
View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham appeared to copy a move from New York mayor Zohran Mamdani for one of his videos this week. Photograph: Adam Gray/AP The world of social media is all about taking ideas and riff…