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What is going on with Andy Burnham's social media?

318 replies

msagent · 20/10/2026 19:18

I swear every post I see is following a formula:

  • personal anecdote
  • link to current issue
  • why this means I understand you
  • how I'm going to change the world
  • join us in doing so

The way they are written makes me cringe. Almost poetic and overly emotive. Maybe it just doesnt work on me.

Anyone else just want some normal?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
msagent · 20/10/2026 20:31

OrangeFlower14 · 20/10/2026 20:27

It’s just the way it is now
Even LinkedIn is like this

Okay, some people don’t do it, but he chooses to do it so that’s that

why does it bother you?

Edited

I jist find myself cringing when I read it. It reads like an AI to me. As I said, I'm sure some people enjoy it.

OP posts:
EasternStandard · 20/10/2026 20:32

AgeingMillennial · 20/10/2026 20:27

He’s back

Blimey that reads like a spoof. But also isn’t it just care in the home, yet to deal with how care home accommodation would be paid for.

I get it’s for others. I don’t follow him on any SM.

UnaGatita · 20/10/2026 20:32

11AndCounting · 20/10/2026 19:46

It is how "the right" operates, too, and they have generally been better at using social media (not least since Musk bought Twitter and tinkered with algorithms...).

because I’ve never paid much attention to ‘the right’ I hadn’t noticed it as much. And I imagine I’d view it as them trying to use the successful tactics of ‘the left’ to appeal to that audience.

Is this emotional rhetoric designed to appeal to the under-25s or to women or other groups? I always thought women, especially considering the large numbers of women who vote ‘left’ (not just Labour).

Tiberia · 20/10/2026 20:35

11AndCounting · 20/10/2026 19:46

It is how "the right" operates, too, and they have generally been better at using social media (not least since Musk bought Twitter and tinkered with algorithms...).

This is how "The Russians" operate too. Their battlefield initiatives are designed to influence western english speaking social media.

Cucurella · 20/10/2026 20:35

AgeingMillennial · 20/10/2026 20:27

He’s back

Load of shite. Make it happen Andy then we'll judge. Where are the specifics, the plan, the timescales? Patronising bullshit. And I speak as someone who thinks my Labour MP is doing a brilliant job.

BurntBroccoli · 20/10/2026 20:40

He is doing extremely well on socials! Even managing to defeat the paid bots.

People like him. Sorry OP 🤷‍♀️

UnaGatita · 20/10/2026 20:40

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 20/10/2026 19:53

Oh that’s so interesting, because I tend to think of feelings and emotionally powerful narratives being pushed over and above facts as much more of a right wing thing. I suppose I’m thinking of Michael Gove’s “we’ve had enough of experts” and the leave campaign more generally, where I think it was widely perceived to be a failure of remain’s argument that they focussed on facts, while leave won the emotional argument. But I guess maybe it’s simplistic to see Brexit as a left/ right divide... I’m genuinely really interested in when this shift happened, and what drove it.

As you’re the second person to mention the right in this context, I need to have a bigger think!

I think you may be right about Gove undermining ppl who could deliver facts. So facts get removed and we’re left with ‘lived experience’ and ‘my neighbour/friend/son…’ etc with very little data to back it up. I worry that we are making policies and law based on vibes but I can’t see it changing any time soon.

I have never seen Brexit as a left/right thing. But then again I can’t remember the data around labour/conservative voters and their leave/remain votes either. Maybe I’ll look that up…

msagent · 20/10/2026 20:43

BurntBroccoli · 20/10/2026 20:40

He is doing extremely well on socials! Even managing to defeat the paid bots.

People like him. Sorry OP 🤷‍♀️

Don't be sorry. No need.

OP posts:
Summerunlover · 20/10/2026 20:44

I like it feels relatable, and like he is actually listening to people.

BurntBroccoli · 20/10/2026 20:44

AgeingMillennial · 20/10/2026 20:27

He’s back

That post is getting really good positive engagement and very few (bot supplied) laugh emojis.

What is going on with Andy Burnham's social media?
BurntBroccoli · 20/10/2026 20:45

Summerunlover · 20/10/2026 20:44

I like it feels relatable, and like he is actually listening to people.

It’s great that he’s not preaching hate or anti-immigration rhetoric.

Vanillaicelatte · 20/10/2026 20:47

msagent · 20/10/2026 20:03

Just for context I am and always have been a labour voter. I quite like him. Just not his social media posts.

An example:

My gran Kitty had an engagement ring she'd worn her whole life.

After the war, she walked three miles out of bombed out Liverpool to put a deposit down on a house. This was the house where I was born, and it changed the fortunes of our family.

Years later when she needed care, that ring was ripped from her finger and stolen in a care home.

And the modest savings she'd built up over a lifetime, starting from that house? All taken to pay for it.

I was a new MP back then. I watched what it did to my mum, and I made a promise to fight for something better.

That was 25 years ago. If anything, it's worse today.

I know so many of you have lived this.

Selling the family home. Watching savings disappear. Fighting a system that should be there for the people you love.

I won't let that carry on.

So we're going to build a National Care Service. Care that starts in the home, that is free at the point of use. Care that's about people, not profit.

It will protect your home and your savings. And no one will pay care charges out of their basic state pension.

We're laying the ground work now, with Louise Casey advising us on exactly how to do it, so we can introduce it in the next Parliament. It will be fully funded, and not through borrowing.

Just as Labour built the NHS, this is about fixing something we've been told for decades can't be fixed, and giving people peace of mind in later life.

And I won't stop until it's fixed.

That’s a loaf of bollocks bullshit because that national care service is only for personal care at home

if you go into a care home home will still have to pay for bed and board which will be at a min 1k a week

but he has not told you that because he’s a liar with decent media skills

But people only heard the bit about having to sell the family home to pay for care and so they believe that they won’t have to sell it

like most politicians if they are breathing the are lying

he is relying on people being thick stupid and greedy and not actually checking the details

msagent · 20/10/2026 20:47

Summerunlover · 20/10/2026 20:44

I like it feels relatable, and like he is actually listening to people.

I think the emotional aspect makes you forget that there are bigger problems. Like the one about petrol stations now being required to put their prices on Google maps. The way the post is written is so emotive. Over what? Knowing where you can get a tank of fuel £3 cheaper?

OP posts:
Objectrelations · 20/10/2026 20:48

I like it

Daygloboo · 20/10/2026 20:49

UnaGatita · 20/10/2026 19:33

The focus these days is on feelings and not facts. Same across social media. ‘Your words are violence’ etc. This is how ‘the left’ operate these days, with emotion and anecdotes. I can’t really pinpoint when this particular tactic came in, but I don’t remember it always being like this. Maybe when Corbyn used to talk about specific constituents in PMQs? I don’t think Blair was particularly into feelings in the same way the current Labour Party is.

Maybe blair should have been into feelings, then he might not have facilitated the bombing of Iraq

EasternStandard · 20/10/2026 20:49

Vanillaicelatte · 20/10/2026 20:47

That’s a loaf of bollocks bullshit because that national care service is only for personal care at home

if you go into a care home home will still have to pay for bed and board which will be at a min 1k a week

but he has not told you that because he’s a liar with decent media skills

But people only heard the bit about having to sell the family home to pay for care and so they believe that they won’t have to sell it

like most politicians if they are breathing the are lying

he is relying on people being thick stupid and greedy and not actually checking the details

It does seem to suggest the issue will be resolved but fails to mention the cost of a care home. And layered with the overly emotional story.

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 20/10/2026 20:50

UnaGatita · 20/10/2026 20:40

As you’re the second person to mention the right in this context, I need to have a bigger think!

I think you may be right about Gove undermining ppl who could deliver facts. So facts get removed and we’re left with ‘lived experience’ and ‘my neighbour/friend/son…’ etc with very little data to back it up. I worry that we are making policies and law based on vibes but I can’t see it changing any time soon.

I have never seen Brexit as a left/right thing. But then again I can’t remember the data around labour/conservative voters and their leave/remain votes either. Maybe I’ll look that up…

I wonder if there’s a bit of a confirmation bias at play - and whether maybe we all tend to think of the “other” side as the a-factual ones and the point of view which most resonates with us as the most obviously factual one. I think of myself as quite centrist/ centre left but I am definitely a sucker for an emotionally compelling message of hope - I loved Andy Burnham’s conference speech for that reason. And I guess social media - and maybe modern politics in general - does lend itself to simplistic messaging, rather than data driven analysis. I’m glad you raised it because I think it’s fascinating.

andyburnhamhere · 20/10/2026 20:53

Can I just say something about Mumsnet? Because I think, sometimes, we can be a little too quick to dismiss the things we don't fully understand.
What you've built here is a community. Not a perfect one, of course. No community ever is. But a place where people can share the realities of their lives, find solidarity, exchange experiences and, when things get difficult, discover that there are others who understand.

And I think that's something worth defending.

We spend a lot of time in politics talking about rebuilding communities, tackling loneliness and restoring trust. We talk about bringing people together, about creating spaces where people feel heard and where their experiences count.
Well, look around. Some of that work is already being done, every day, by ordinary people who don't need a minister to tell them that community matters.

It's happening when somebody takes the time to answer a stranger's question. When a woman going through something frightening finds reassurance from somebody who's been there before. When people disagree, sometimes robustly, but keep coming back because there's something here they value.

Now, social media can bring out the worst in us. We all know that. But it can also reveal the best: kindness, humour, resilience and that wonderful instinct people have to help one another, even when they've never met.

So perhaps the question isn't whether Mumsnet always gets everything right. Of course it doesn't. The question is whether we recognise the value of what happens here, and whether we're prepared to nurture the things that bring people together rather than constantly finding reasons to knock them down.
Because if we're serious about rebuilding a sense of belonging in this country, we should start by recognising where it already exists.

And to everyone who helps make this place what it is, day after day, I would simply say this: don't underestimate what you're doing.
You may not call it public service. You may not even think of it as community building.

But sometimes, the most important work in a society is done quietly, without recognition, by people who simply decide to be there for one another.

And that is something we ought to value a great deal more.

Vanillaicelatte · 20/10/2026 20:54

EasternStandard · 20/10/2026 20:49

It does seem to suggest the issue will be resolved but fails to mention the cost of a care home. And layered with the overly emotional story.

It will be similar to Scotland care

Free personal care at home

If you go into a care home in Scotland
you get around 260 a week towards that
If you need nursing care it’s another 117a week

So roughy 380 - week towards you being in a care home

You have to pay for board and accommodation

So If you have assets money , a house that wil be taken into account to pay for it

You won’t get a free care home if you have savings and a house

and as most care homes are in the region of 1500 -2k a care a month people are going to be mighty pissed of when they realise this is the case

how anyone can trust him when lest than 4 months ago he explicitly said he wouldn’t reopen the Brexit argument but 4 months later he Is doing exactly that

he’s a liar ( a good one I will give him that (
but anyone who votes labour on he basis that.
They won’t have to pay for a care home gets deserves to get screwed

It’s all here hidden away at the bottom
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-andy-burnham-sets-out-plans-for-a-new-national-care-servic

Prime Minister Andy Burnham sets out plans for a new National Care Service

The Prime Minister announced a new settlement for older people today: a state pension that rises every year, no personal care charges and a high-quality National Care Service to give peace of mind in later life.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-andy-burnham-sets-out-plans-for-a-new-national-care-service

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 20/10/2026 20:54

BurntBroccoli · 20/10/2026 20:45

It’s great that he’s not preaching hate or anti-immigration rhetoric.

I definitely agree with this - perceived wisdom is outrage and indignation are the biggest drivers of engagement on social media and I am really glad to see a Prime Minister rising above all that, and proving a positive message can also have a wide reach. I don’t think I’ve seen him put out a single bit of content that’s slagging an opponent off.

GarlicEverything · 20/10/2026 20:56

Raiderofthelostbattenburg · 20/10/2026 19:24

A friend of mine who works in marketing once said to me, 'if something doesn't work for you, it probably wasn't meant for you' and I think that probably applies here. From what I understand, by all the objective measures, Andy Burnham's social media strategy is exceptionally successful for a politican - he's got really strong statistics for reach and engagement, especially among young people, and I imagine that's probably at least part of why he is so much ahead of all the other political leaders in the polls on personal favourability.

It does my nut in but, then, I liked Starmer because he was a grown-up who just wanted to get on with the job. Clearly this didn't work for most people, while Burnham's endless stream of enthusiastic empathy does.

Labour's public engagement has been utterly dreadful for decades. If this is what works, they should keep doing it.

EasternStandard · 20/10/2026 20:56

Vanillaicelatte · 20/10/2026 20:54

It will be similar to Scotland care

Free personal care at home

If you go into a care home in Scotland
you get around 260 a week towards that
If you need nursing care it’s another 117a week

So roughy 380 - week towards you being in a care home

You have to pay for board and accommodation

So If you have assets money , a house that wil be taken into account to pay for it

You won’t get a free care home if you have savings and a house

and as most care homes are in the region of 1500 -2k a care a month people are going to be mighty pissed of when they realise this is the case

how anyone can trust him when lest than 4 months ago he explicitly said he wouldn’t reopen the Brexit argument but 4 months later he Is doing exactly that

he’s a liar ( a good one I will give him that (
but anyone who votes labour on he basis that.
They won’t have to pay for a care home gets deserves to get screwed

It’s all here hidden away at the bottom
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-andy-burnham-sets-out-plans-for-a-new-national-care-servic

I’m kind of amazed at that segue from emotive story, to it won’t happen anymore, to it’s only care in the home - last part left out.

It’s not near what will happen in reality.

Cucurella · 20/10/2026 20:57

andyburnhamhere · 20/10/2026 20:53

Can I just say something about Mumsnet? Because I think, sometimes, we can be a little too quick to dismiss the things we don't fully understand.
What you've built here is a community. Not a perfect one, of course. No community ever is. But a place where people can share the realities of their lives, find solidarity, exchange experiences and, when things get difficult, discover that there are others who understand.

And I think that's something worth defending.

We spend a lot of time in politics talking about rebuilding communities, tackling loneliness and restoring trust. We talk about bringing people together, about creating spaces where people feel heard and where their experiences count.
Well, look around. Some of that work is already being done, every day, by ordinary people who don't need a minister to tell them that community matters.

It's happening when somebody takes the time to answer a stranger's question. When a woman going through something frightening finds reassurance from somebody who's been there before. When people disagree, sometimes robustly, but keep coming back because there's something here they value.

Now, social media can bring out the worst in us. We all know that. But it can also reveal the best: kindness, humour, resilience and that wonderful instinct people have to help one another, even when they've never met.

So perhaps the question isn't whether Mumsnet always gets everything right. Of course it doesn't. The question is whether we recognise the value of what happens here, and whether we're prepared to nurture the things that bring people together rather than constantly finding reasons to knock them down.
Because if we're serious about rebuilding a sense of belonging in this country, we should start by recognising where it already exists.

And to everyone who helps make this place what it is, day after day, I would simply say this: don't underestimate what you're doing.
You may not call it public service. You may not even think of it as community building.

But sometimes, the most important work in a society is done quietly, without recognition, by people who simply decide to be there for one another.

And that is something we ought to value a great deal more.

🤣🤣🤣

RaggedRocks · 20/10/2026 21:11

As for the national care service and his sainted Nan, they are just ruses to bring in a new tax. As PPs have said you will still have to give up your house to pay for residential care for yourself and contribute towards the care of those who have no assets, as per now.

GreenEyesMillennial · 20/10/2026 21:13

msagent · 20/10/2026 19:18

I swear every post I see is following a formula:

  • personal anecdote
  • link to current issue
  • why this means I understand you
  • how I'm going to change the world
  • join us in doing so

The way they are written makes me cringe. Almost poetic and overly emotive. Maybe it just doesnt work on me.

Anyone else just want some normal?

Reckon he is using chatgpt. Same style, tone across all comms. He needs better PR

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