Starmer's communications chief to address cabinet on media strategy overhaul

"Keir Starmer's Whitehall communications chief will address the cabinet on overhauling the government's media strategy on Tuesday as ministers increasingly try to combat far-right rhetoric online. David Dinsmore, a former editor of the Sun who was appointed permanent secretary for government communications in November, will speak to ministers about modernising the way they reach voters. The government is concerned about the proliferation of false and inflammatory far-right content on social media and is stepping up efforts to communicate on those platforms."

"A New Media Unit (NMU) was set up inside the Cabinet Office by Starmer's aides soon after Labour came to power to coordinate those efforts. The work is led on the ministerial side by Darren Jones, who was tasked by Starmer on his appointment as chief secretary to the prime minister in September to develop and modernise the government's communications."

"One source said that in between stories about Taylor Swift and football, far-right political content appeared in the top-five newslist most weeks. Ministers are examining a number of changes aimed at reaching people who are not served by traditional media outlets and raising awareness of public services and entitlements. One government source said the ambition was to scale up digital capabilities of the government with the recognition that that involves more in-house capacity."

David Dinsmore will address the cabinet on modernising government media strategy to combat far-right rhetoric online. The government is concerned about the proliferation of false and inflammatory far-right content on social media and is stepping up efforts to communicate on those platforms. A New Media Unit (NMU) inside the Cabinet Office coordinates digital outreach, and Darren Jones leads ministerial work to develop and modernise communications. Officials now send weekly summaries of top five stories on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X. Ministers plan changes to reach audiences outside traditional media, scale up in-house digital capabilities, and involve influencers and new formats, including the prime minister's presence on TikTok.

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