How to make Keir Starmer a social media star

Five ways for the PM to connect with voters, without tap-dancing naked down Camden High Street

This is a ChatGPT representation of Keir Starmer, the social media star

I can hear your scepticism a mile away. Starmer, a social media star, who are you kidding?

Trust me, it’s possible.

But, and there’s a big but, he needs to see the need, take the risk, and believe it really matters.

At the moment there are two politicians dominating social media - Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski. Leave aside the politics of what they are saying for a minute. Both are doing simple things well. They are talking plainly and directly to the camera. They have passion. And they are doing it regularly. Most of all, they know it matters for reaching new audiences.

Starmer’s approach to date is too formal, too infrequent and too bland.

All of those things must change.

But it needs a new mindset too. The culture at Number 10 makes taking risks not worth the bother. It was the same in opposition. There are multiple points of veto. You hear it often: “It’s not really a Keir thing.” or “Keir will never do that.” Little time is made for it in his busy schedule. The Prime Minister himself is reluctant. And so all the good ideas, and there have been quite a few, get sat on.

To put it bluntly, things can’t stay like this. Keir’s ratings are bad. The Caerphilly by-election is the latest example of haemorrhaging support. And the May elections are looming. The truth is, he’s got nothing to lose.

It matters for another reason too. The job of Prime Minister is to be ‘explainer in chief’. That means getting out there, making big arguments, and dominating the agenda.

Trump is the master of the attention economy: spending hours watching, listening, reacting on social media; always knowing and understanding where public opinion is going. An on-going dialogue with the American people.

Communicating well is not an add on or a nice to have. It is one of the main jobs of being a political leader. Today’s political leader must be a content creator.

Let’s get the obvious out the way. This is not a call for gimmickry - the Prime Minister filmed chanting “stand up if you hate Tottenham” from the stands at Arsenal, or feeding the Downing Street cat his morning breakfast, though a case could be made for both.

This is about Starmer using social media regularly, in an interesting, authentic way, to give people a fresh insight into what he is trying to do for the country. He needs to be talking confidently about issues he cares about. Authenticity is key.

In case it needs saying, being Prime Minister is actually an asset in the social media world. Status matters. Fame matters. The office matters. The Prime Minister should have a lot going for him.

At a minimum, Starmer needs to be speaking face to face with real voters in communities across Britain every week. He should do a town hall meeting where he takes questions, however hostile. Why is this not happening? This will give him the chance to test and hone arguments on all the key issues and listen deeply to what people are saying, and importantly how they are saying it. Not all of these sessions need to be filmed. Some can be used for clips, others for taking the temperature.

On top of that, here are five ideas. Five doable, workable ideas to get the ball rolling. I’ve got another list that is bolder. But I wanted to start by suggesting things that I believe could be done tomorrow. And if they were done regularly, they would over time build a connection with voters. I know there is a skilled digital team in Number 10, ready to be let off the leash.

1. Surrounded: Keir Starmer V 25 Reform-leaning voters

Surrounded is a format where a politician sits in the centre of a circle surrounded by a group of voters - usually 25 of them - and makes a series of claims. A claim is a statement for debate. One of the claims in this video - that went out before last year’s Presidential election - is that Kamala Harris would be better for the economy than Donald Trump.

One of the 25 then decides to get up and sit opposite the politician in the centre of the circle and debate the claim. If more than one voter gets up at the same time, the person who touches the chair first gets to sit down and debate. After a few minutes, others wave a flag, if they want to replace that person, and have their own one to one discussion with the politician. At the end, there is usually a vote, which could be on how persuaded the participants are of the arguments, or how they will actually vote in an election.

Pete Buttigieg in this video is using this format very effectively.

What I like about it is:

• It feels fresh

• It feels like there is some jeopardy and energy

• Yet, it is respectful and not a bunfight

• It has substance and the time and space for proper argument and explanation

• It feels like proper engagement with real people

The format would suit Starmer and he could start it immediately - for example with Reform leaning voters, ID card sceptics, or working-class voters after the Budget.

2. Keir unfiltered - ‘My Day’

Picture the scene. Keir arrives in his Downing Street flat after a busy, tiring day as Prime Minister, gets a beer from the fridge, sits in an armchair in his living room, takes off his jacket, loosens his tie and says to camera:

“What a day it’s been. Let me tell you about it.”

Imagine him doing this every day. Just for one, two or three minutes.

Imagine over time, as he gets more comfortable with the format, he starts to become more open and more frank. “You’ll never believe what Trump said to me on the call today…..”

“I had to go over to the Home Office myself, sit down with the team and demand better answers on boats.”

“I’ve just come back from a reception, where a businessman from Grimsby told me x and it made me think y…………”

The key is to show what he is fighting for, what he is working on, explaining the process of change.

This is not of course a million miles away from the FDR fireside chats begun in 1933. Keeping up with the communication techniques of an American President of 92 years ago is surely not asking too much.

3. The Keir Starmer Podcast

Starmer should do his own podcast. This is an idea that was first floated in Opposition - and would be even more potent now he is Prime Minister.

A weekly time where he is having proper in-depth conversations with interesting people. People who shed light on a current challenge for the government, people who are inspiring examples of how the country is improving, people who properly challenge his thinking - Reform leaning voters, a business leader with a different view on what will boost growth.

This would have many benefits: A prime minister showing that he is curious, wrestling with big ideas, being open about the challenges, connecting with real people, taking on critics. He would be in charge of the conversation and it would provide context for his decision making.

4. Behind the Speaker’s Chair

PMQ’s is the part of the PM’s week that gets most attention, barring big announcements, and so should be milked for all it’s worth.

Starmer could show the preparation for PMQ’s - the backroom debates with staff over what jokes to use, what questions he’s worried about, where he thinks the Leader of the Opposition will come at him. Then afterwards, he could come out of the chamber, return to his office behind the Speaker’s chair, and either do a piece straight to camera or discuss with his staff, what he thinks were the highs and lows. The more open, honest and reflective the better. “I was floored by that question”. “Why on earth did she ask that? I was expecting something a lot harder.” “That backbencher got me thinking about….”

5. ‘Banging On……in which Keir bangs on about……..’

Part of winning the big arguments is to be seen fighting for the changes you want to make to the country. Starmer should pick an issue and run with it relentlessly day after day, with real people in real places. This is where a ‘flood the zone’ approach really matters. There’s plenty to choose from. ‘Banging on…’ could be a deliberately self-deprecating title for a running series: ‘Banging on….. in which Keir bangs on about knife crime’ - the top issue for many young people. “Banging on… in which Keir bangs on about ID cards.” “Banging on in which Keir bangs on about NEET zero - ending the waste of one million young people who are not in employment or education.” This would require daily hits with the aim that after three months people say, ‘Whatever you think about Keir Starmer, he’s always banging on about x!’ One of the fastest ways of turning around a politician’s fortunes is identifying him or her with an important issue.

In recent days, there has been a glimmer of hope. This clip from Starmer was natural, had a lighter touch and got traction on social media.

Two quibbles with it. First, the photos he takes are of his trip to India and so reinforce how much time he spends abroad. Far better to be of communities in Britain. Second, there is no message about the government behind it. Nonetheless, it proves that he has little to fear, and should do a lot more of it. Sometimes it won’t work, sometimes it will be messy, sometimes people will cringe. And the truth is, that doesn’t matter.

And while some may say it’s now too late, if he throws himself into it, Starmer really could become a social media star.