Andy Burnham's plan to collaborate with social media creators
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is shifting his government's communication strategy to prioritize social media influencers over traditional media. The approach aims to reach younger, hard-to-reach voters through authentic, less-produced content.
Why it matters
This represents a significant evolution in political communication, moving away from traditional press scrutiny toward direct-to-consumer digital engagement.
Image source, Megan Cassidy Image caption, Young Labour supporters whose TikToks took them to Downing Street
Political reporter Published 23 July 2026, 09:01 BST Updated 1 minute ago Andy Burnham is a past master at using social media to create a political brand - and it seems he has no plans to let up now that he is prime minister.
One Downing Street source told the BBC they planned to take a "more social first" and "authentic to Andy" approach, with "less high production, polished" content than might have been seen from a prime minister in the past.
This means we can expect more clips of Burnham in casual mode, chatting into a handheld phone or answering questions on policy in an apparently spontaneous fashion on X, Instagram or TikTok.
There will also be a focus on collaborations with social media creators.
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