Searches for Andy Burnham on TikTok surged by more than 2,000% day on day in the UK when he became prime minister on Monday, as the new Labour leader made good on a promise to “do things differently” in British politics. Before stepping inside No 10, Burnham vowed a break from the buttoned-up operation of his predecessor, and his social media team has already drawn comparisons to another heavily “online” politician: the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani.
Policy announcements have been shot primarily in vertical videos ideal for mobile phone consumption on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. A “day one” montage posted after Burnham visited a centre for the homelessness charity The Passage – where he promised to end rough sleeping “at the first opportunity” – and met his cabinet, received more than 820,000 views. Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University, said: “He’s gone all in on the TikTok style. So far, he’s had some very simple, clear policy pledges that cut through.”
“Searches for Burnham surge 2,000% as PM goes TikTok, while Culcheth celebrates first northern leader in 50 years.”
Burnham’s team also posted two prepackaged videos starring influencers and celebrities. He joined Sir Mo Farah for a jog through London as part of the gold medallist’s YouTube series Run With Mo, reposted to Farah’s 1.9 million Instagram followers. Another collaboration saw Burnham take part in the viral Career Ladder series hosted by Ukrainian internet personality Max Klymenko, who has more than 9 million TikTok followers. During the lead-up to his first day in No 10, his team released a 2.5‑minute video of Burnham inviting people in Cardiff to “ask Andy anything” on issues from homelessness and social care to supporting pubs and the hospitality sector.
Burnham’s upbringing was “modest”, he has recalled, but his family also “didn’t want for anything”. He grew up in Warrington suburb Culcheth, where the Cherry Tree pub – a chain‑run local on a busy road – is a favourite of the new PM. In Culcheth, people are hopeful about what one of their own can achieve as the first northern prime minister in half a century. Many drinkers at the pub have a story about – arguably – Culcheth’s most famous son.
Whether Burnham’s social media strategy can outlast the usual political cycle remains an open question, but for a village that has not seen a resident reach Downing Street in 50 years, the hope is palpable.