Andy Burnham turns to TikTok and podcasts as UK PM

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is using TikTok, podcasts and creator-led social media appearances to broaden his audience, drawing praise from some communications observers and criticism from others.

Burnham has posted videos on X and TikTok and has appeared on entertainment channels run by creators with large followings. During his first speech outside No. 10 Downing Street, a crowd included teenage influencers who make TikTok clips about Labour politics.

Soon after opening a separate office in northern England, Burnham gave an interview there to writer Elizabeth Day for her podcast “How to Fail”. On the day he became prime minister, he appeared on “Career Ladder”, a TikTok series hosted by UK-based Ukrainian creator Max Klymenko, who has 9.8 million followers. Burnham has also filmed while jogging with Olympic medallist Mo Farah.

Steven Buckley, a lecturer in digital media sociology at City St George's, University of London, said Burnham had a “better grasp of the media environment” than predecessor Keir Starmer. The BBC politics specialist Laura Kuenssberg called Burnham “a good natural communicator”.

More in Common pollsters said this month that Burnham was “winning the attention war” for young adults, with more than half of 18-24 year-olds saying they had seen his content.

Burnham's personal TikTok posts include a video promoting technical education and another showing him pulling a pint while unveiling measures to help publicans. TikTok does not allow political ads, so political videos must compete for views without paid promotion.

The approach has drawn criticism. The Times's social media editor Esme Hewitt wrote that the content was not “just a brand campaign”, while presenter Piers Morgan asked Burnham on X to stop making what he called “cringe videos”. The Daily Telegraph accused Burnham of “cheap gimmicks”.

Buckley told AFP that one role of a modern prime minister is to act as a content creator. Jonathan Connolly, who works for Inflect political communications agency, said on TikTok that Burnham's social media presence meant he did not need traditional media as much as earlier prime ministers, but he predicted a backlash from outlets that feel “frozen out”.