Andy Burnham’s Social Media Engagement Draws Positive Attention
Labour MPs and public relations experts have commended Andy Burnham’s direct and candid approach on social media, which contrasts notably with Keir Starmer’s style. Since announcing his intention to contest the Makerfield by-election last Thursday, Burnham has actively engaged with numerous posts online, combining humor and assertiveness in his responses.
Balancing his campaign efforts, mayoral duties, and personal routines such as regular runs, Burnham has managed to reply to dozens of social media posts. His allies highlight his witty and occasionally sharp retorts, often accompanied by a passive-aggressive thumbs-up emoji, as evidence of his natural communication skills.
For example, when the Daily Mail published a story suggesting Burnham had staged a run, he responded by clarifying it was "part of my regular routine." Similarly, after broadcaster Andrew Neil accused him of pandering to "victimhood," Burnham replied,
"You need to get out of London, Andrew."
This style has been described as "combative progressivism" by Luke Charters, the MP for York Outer, who appreciates Burnham’s understanding of social media dynamics. Charters emphasized the importance for the Labour party to grasp social media algorithms to effectively communicate their message.
"If you can do that in a good-hearted, humorous way then you can cut through,"Charters said.
"Farage has made a game of relatability for years, hiding behind pints and populism while his party couldn’t find a working men’s club with a satnav, but Andy doesn’t need to put on an act, whether that’s on the doorstep or on his feed. He just needs to live everyday life."
Burnham’s Campaign Video Reflects His Communication Style
Burnham’s campaign video, launched on Monday evening, exemplifies his communicative approach. The video features a soundtrack of soaring strings from Elbow, music from fellow Manchester bands James and Oasis, and concludes with an image of the Palace of Westminster. In it, Burnham states that his bid to win the Makerfield seat is driven by the need to "change Labour" and describes the by-election as the "most consequential of our lives."
PR consultant Mark Borkowski praised Burnham’s natural ease in communication, describing him as "fearless" and comfortable in his own skin. Borkowski contrasted this with Keir Starmer, noting that Starmer has struggled to project similar authenticity.
"[Keir] Starmer has struggled to project that same authenticity, and in the modern age you have to be a brilliant communicator as well as being good at your job,"Borkowski added.
Political Strategists Note Burnham’s Relatable Persona
The video shows Burnham walking through the streets of Makerfield and Wigan, interacting with members of the public who appear uniformly pleased to see him. Labour strategist John McTernan suggested Burnham’s style channels that of New York mayoral counterpart Zohran Mamdani.
"It’s like a love letter to Wigan and Manchester – he loves them and they love him back, and that’s precious in politics,"McTernan said.
McTernan also noted that Burnham’s approach is helping to improve morale within the Labour party following disappointing local election results. He contrasted Burnham’s messaging with Starmer’s, which he described as pessimistic.
"Keir’s messaging seemed to be: ‘Well, things are shit, but don’t worry they are going to get shitter’, but progressive politics has to be about lift. His message recognises that,"McTernan stated.
Challenges and Opportunities in Burnham’s Social Media Strategy
Despite the positive reception, Burnham’s communication strategy shows some early signs of being unpolished. Initially, comments and retweets on his X posts appeared to be mistakenly blocked, a technical issue he acknowledged to a supporter:
"Yeh, took me a while to work that out!"
While Burnham’s activity on X is vigorous, his presence on other platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube is comparatively subdued, according to social media analyst Matt Navarra.
"Burnham is going to have to have a much more robust social strategy that leans into being entertaining as much as educating,"Navarra said.
"Content is king and he’ll need a team and support of creators across a range of platforms to get proper reach."
Navarra observed that Burnham’s authentic and relatable online persona is likely to be perceived as trustworthy but is less likely to generate viral engagement compared to more provocative figures.
"Burnham beats Starmer for emotion, and [Wes] Streeting for authenticity, but Reform beats all three of them on understanding the raw attention-grabbing mechanics of social,"Navarra added.
