ANDY Burnham has been told to tone down his “blokeish” social media output, it has emerged.
The Prime Minister is facing pushback from No 10 spin doctors after talking about football and rating pub snacks in video messages to the public, The Times reports.
The Downing Street social media unit is reportedly delivering daily updates to the PM’s team, and warned him to limit references to the pub and football in a bid to reach a broader audience.
Burnham has been credited with pursuing a more successful approach to social media than his predecessor Keir Starmer, who was frequently criticised for his output.
But the new Prime Minister’s more direct approach, which includes self-filming his own videos and responding directly to people’s comments on platforms like Twitter/X, has also come under fire.
The pub snacks video, filmed with Chancellor John Healey, saw the PM branded a “clown” by social media users, while one said Burnham’s blokey routine was “insufferable”.
A source told The Times: “No 10 have a very good team that specialise in social media data and analytics.
“They’re producing daily reports for the PM’s team and have cautioned against some of the content, advising to tone down some of the blokiness, such as the bar snacks stunt. He is a strong communicator but it’s about balance.”
Piggy-backing on social media trends has been a fixation for government spinners under successive prime ministers, with Starmer even posting a farewell message on his TikTok account inspired by a famous scene in the Fast and Furious franchise.
The Cabinet Office is currently in the process of recruiting around 50 social media staff for the Government Media Unit, which include communications officials who will be tasked with building relationships with influencers and agreeing paid collaborations to push the Government’s agenda across platforms, according to The Times.
