New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is taking to social media to discuss the merits of pub snacks and make jokes about himself, providing a counterweight to populist parties’ online presence, Reuters reports.
Burnham’s natural ease with voters is one of the main reasons the Labour Party so easily ditched its previous leader and prime minister, Keir Starmer, and replaced him with a Manchester-area mayor. Two weeks into his term, Burnham’s posts, which focus on positivity rather than polarizing clickbait, have garnered millions of views on TikTok, Instagram and X. While social media activity alone won’t fuel a stagnant economy or improve living conditions, Burnham has managed to build a following, knowing that the message could soon become more serious.
James Lyons, Starmer’s former head of strategic communications, said Burnham is taking a different approach than the left-wing Green Party or the populist Reform Party. Lyons said that rather than being divisive, Burnham wants to be popular and inclusive, and is trying to pull off the very difficult trick of being serious about the prime minister’s job and laughing at himself at the same time.
This raises hopes that Burnham will be able to stand up to the Reform Party, whose leader Nigel Farage has spent years posting videos about immigration, crime and social issues to his 2.3 million followers on X, 1.5 million on TikTok and another million on Instagram.
The victory in the communication battles against Starmer has given the Reform Party a significant lead in the polls,
but the first polls since Burnham took office show that Labour has managed to close the popularity gap.
Farage often posts videos of himself downing a pint in a pub, but Burnham has already shown that he too could operate in this genre. A video of Burnham announcing a tax cut for the hospitality industry X alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey has been viewed 4.7 million times, with millions more on other platforms.
When Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called Burnham “a pair of eyelashes in a black T-shirt,” Burnham posted a video of himself blinking his eyes, looking down and saying, “It’s actually dark blue.”
Academics say Burnham’s ability to communicate effortlessly on social media is particularly important for Labour, as the party has often been criticised for failing to set out its strategy and deliver on promises made since its landslide victory in the 2024 election. Rosalynd Southern, a lecturer in political communication at the University of Liverpool, said Labour had previously managed to produce some rather bland memes and some interesting posts about politics, but Burnham had created a more coordinated and unified strategy.
Burnham’s social media following is still smaller than Farage’s, but it is growing rapidly.
Katy Parry, a professor of media and politics at the University of Leeds, said Burnham had seen a lack of communication between the public and politicians, but had managed to find a different approach to Farage. She pointed out that Burnham, unlike some right-wing populists, was not anti-political.
The video posting on social media not only reached voters where they were most likely to be – watching on their smartphones – but also received positive coverage in traditional media, thereby increasing its impact. Some of the videos have taken advantage of online trends, such as a montage inspired by the popular TV series The Office, while a TikTok roundup of the top five performers in the first week has garnered five million views.
Burnham has a team dedicated to creating digital content, and the government last week advertised for social media content creators. While social media has already allowed Burnham to get the government’s message across, Keiran Pedley, head of Ipsos’ UK division, said long-term success still depends on delivering on voters’ priorities and maintaining consistency. Pedley said Burnham had made a fairly positive start, but the big question is what the prime minister will do when the road gets bumpy.
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