Boris Johnson
Johnson’s campaign video looks like a version of the Daz doorstep challenge. The candidate chats amiably with Conservative voters who handily share his views on Brexit, crime, education and tax cuts. Highlights include a rather half-hearted air punch as Johnson tells one woman that Britain just needs to believe in itself more, and Johnson’s new sensible leadership challenge haircut.
Please check out my campaign launch video. Time to deliver Brexit and unite our fantastic country. I hope you will support me > @BackBoris #BackBoris pic.twitter.com/iRZ8b0flRK
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 3, 2019
The video has a dig at the Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, over crime in the capital. (By happy coincidence, Donald Trump criticised Khan as soon as he landed in the UK on Monday.) Perhaps wisely though, with a court case looming over the leave campaign’s £350m NHS promise, Johnson avoids making any costed pledges in his video.
Michael Gove
There’s a markedly different approach from Gove, whose video starts with a supercut of previous speeches. Gove then says it isn’t enough just to “believe” in Brexit, you need to be able to deliver it.
Take a look at my campaign launch video. I'm ready to unite our party, ready to deliver Brexit and ready to lead our great country 🇬🇧
— Michael Gove (@michaelgove) June 1, 2019
Sign up at https://t.co/2Lz4qK8AsF#Gove4PM #ReadyToLead pic.twitter.com/dTsD2qFQPu
He cites his record in government on environmental and educational issues, although children learning punctuation may have some questions about why Gove’s name at the end of the video has a full stop.
Dominic Raab
Raab turned heads last week with a head-turning opening to his campaign video. Looking like an owl spinning its head round to focus on its prey, Raab preaches fairness, for which he claims to have been fighting all his life. (The feminists he has described as “obnoxious bigots” might beg to differ.)
Fairness is what I've been fighting for all my working life. Watch my new video setting out how I will campaign for a fairer Britain. pic.twitter.com/uhFEi9dqwS
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) May 28, 2019
Raab is ahead of the game on Facebook, having already spent more than £6,000 on adverts there.
Matt Hancock
Rather more energetically, the health secretary has been posting videos of himself playing cricket in the workplace. With the World Cup starting in England, Matt Hancock appeared in a video that looked like it could have been posted by David Brent from The Office, offering his services if England were to need any last-minute squad replacements. Needless to say, he took the most dramatic catch in the clip – diving headlong across the office in his best Ben Stokes impression.
.@EnglandCricket give me a call if Ben Stokes is unavailable?
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) May 31, 2019
Office cricket this morning to celebrate the World Cup pic.twitter.com/lIXitJRE9i
Hancock does have form – last year he posted clips of himself playing street cricket during an official visit to India.
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) May 13, 2018
Rory Stewart
“Florence of Belgravia” has become the unexpected social media star of the campaign, but one of his early videos caused a stir when he was asked if he was holding out his arm as if taking a selfie while his phone appeared to be on a tripod. The following exchange about it was, at least, a refreshingly honest reply from a politician being caught out in a public act of deception.
Stewart has subsequently adopted a more shaky aesthetic as he wanders around the country chatting to people, using the #rorywalks hashtag. A stint at Speakers’ Corner in London is scheduled for 6pm on Monday.
— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) May 31, 2019
There’s a suspicion that Stewart isn’t really bidding to be leader at all but just auditioning for the “lovable cuddly Tory” role that Ken Clarke will vacate at some point. Clarke, of course, has endorsed Stewart.
Sajid Javid
The home secretary has opted for a much more formal indoor setting for his #TeamSaj campaign video. One thing #TeamSaj might consider is employing the services of a sound engineer: despite having multiple camera angles, Javid sounds like he’s being recorded underwater in a wind tunnel.
I’m standing to be the next leader of @Conservatives & Prime Minister of our great country. We need to restore trust, bring unity and create new opportunities across the UK. First and foremost, we must deliver Brexit. Join @TeamSaj to help me do just that #TeamSaj pic.twitter.com/qfH1lLNusQ
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) May 27, 2019
He has, though, recorded the best social media retort of the campaign so far.
The launch videos so far have been male-dominated. Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey have preferred to post clips of media appearances on Twitter and Facebook rather than bespoke videos.
Kit Malthouse
Malthouse has run a low-key social media campaign for the top job, although the housing minister has at least demonstrated a grasp of the fact that the internet loves cats.
As Housing Minister I spoke in Parliament about the role pets can play in tackling loneliness - I encourage everyone to join @marspetcare and tell us what makes you say #thankyoupets
— Join Kit (@kitmalthouse) June 1, 2019
For me its the joy Punky here brings to the whole family. pic.twitter.com/Nvyjx3yWFD
James Cleverly
Cleverly has opted for a nostalgic look back at where he grew up in Lewisham as the background to the “conversation” he is promising with the British people. Bonus points to the director for including an old family photo that makes clear Cleverly served in the army without the candidate having to mention it.
Jeremy Hunt
Hunt has posted a series of videos, and one that stands out is a short clip filmed while out campaigning for this week’s byelection in Peterborough. He boasts about once having turned a marginal seat into one with a majority of 20,000. It might seem like an odd pitch to unite and lead the nation, but Hunt clearly has his eye on who the real electorate is for the UK’s next prime minister: Conservative party activists. Just keep him away from bells while on camera.
A united Conservative party, where we give marginal seat MPs the support they need to win, never can be defeated. pic.twitter.com/vTP2hj29wm
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) May 31, 2019
And the one making way
One crumb of comfort for all the contenders is that they will be hard-pushed to produce a campaign video as stilted and awkward as Theresa May’s fireside Brexit chat from April, which already feels like a long, long time ago.
Let me explain what's happening with Brexit.pic.twitter.com/gjGkvFk8fT
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) April 7, 2019
