Social media influencers, some barely out of their teens, are playing an increasingly significant role in shaping political messaging, particularly for the Labour Party. Ellen Stewart, a 19-year-old influencer using the X handle 'AlGoreCrave', has been creating slickly edited content featuring political figures, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham and other cabinet members, as part of an effort to make Labour appear more appealing to younger voters.
This digital campaign appears to be yielding results. According to a recent YouGov poll, support for Labour among 18-24-year-olds has risen from 14 percent to 26 percent over the past month. Burnham himself has engaged in social media trends, including using Love Island memes and collaborating with influencers to announce policy details like bus fare caps.
This strategy represents a shift from the past, where the Reform Party was widely considered the master of social media engagement. During the 2024 general election, Reform reportedly generated three times the social media interactions of Labour, despite Labour's significantly higher spending on paid advertising. However, Reform's online activity has recently become more focused on Nigel Farage's campaign in Clacton, with some observers suggesting the party has abandoned its campaign for the Manchester mayoralty due to social media resource constraints.
Reform has reportedly been alarmed by the inroads made by the hard-right party Restore into its online base. In response, Reform announced a shake-up of its social media team.
The Labour initiative is being spearheaded by Abby Tomlinson, former head of digital for the Labour Party under Keir Starmer. Tomlinson previously founded the 'Milifans' youth movement that supported Ed Miliband in the 2015 election, a campaign which saw a notable increase in Labour's vote share among 18-24-year-olds.
However, Burnham's social media strategy is not without potential pitfalls. Critics point out that while significant effort is being invested online, traditional media engagement has faced challenges, with Burnham recently expressing frustration over reports about potential council tax and stamp duty reconfigurations. There's also the inherent risk in relying on a network of independent influencers, as an ill-advised post from one of them could lead to a scandal, similar to an incident involving Green leader Zack Polanski.
Furthermore, the long-term effectiveness of targeting younger, less mobilised voters remains a question, echoing strategist James Carville's observation that campaigns based solely on young or first-time voters can be losing propositions. Despite these concerns, the current social media push has undeniably created a significant buzz around Andy Burnham, with the platform's dynamics playing a key role in his rising public profile.