He's a natural': Andy Burnham's allies give his social media style a thumbs up

Andy Burnham balances mayoral duties, running, and a bid to become MP for Makerfield while replying to many social media posts. Supporters highlight his snarky, humorous retorts, including correcting claims about his running routine and telling a critic to get out of London. Luke Charters praises Labour’s need to understand social media algorithms and says effective communication can cut through when done in a good-hearted way. The campaign video launched on Monday uses music from Manchester bands and Elbow, then ends with an image of the Palace of Westminster. Burnham frames the byelection as highly consequential and says his attempt to win the seat is motivated by the need to change Labour.

"Since it became clear that Burnham planned to stand as a candidate in the Makerfield byelection last Thursday, allies have delighted in his snarky retorts on X, pointing to posts that combine humour with a passive-aggressive thumbs-up emoji as proof he is a natural, and refreshingly forthright, communicator. When the Daily Mail ran a story claiming Burnham had staged a run, before driving home he pinged back that it was part of my regular routine. And when the broadcaster Andrew Neil accused him of pandering to victimhood, he replied: You need to get out of London, Andrew."

"Luke Charters, the Labour MP for York Outer, is delighted to see, arguing that his party has to understand the mechanics of social media algorithms if they don't want their argument to be lost. If you can do that in a good-hearted, humorous way then you can cut through, said Charters. 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. He points to Burnham's byelection campaign video, launched on Monday evening, which starts with a soundtrack of soaring strings from Elbow, continues with music from fellow Manchester bands James and Oasis, and concludes with an image of the Palace of Westminster. In the video Burnham says his attempt to win the Makerfield seat was motivated by the need to change Labour and describes the byelection as the most consequential of our lives."

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