Five new social media stars of the 2017 Parliament

One month on from the General Election, the new intake of MPs has had a chance to bed in. And with the pressures of campaigning behind them, their voices as MPs in office – as opposed to candidates – are starting to take shape.

For parliamentarians, social media is now a legitimate channel for political communication. Close to 90% have a presence on one platform or another – and they use it to comment on national and local news, to show support for people or issues, or to engage with activists, constituents, stakeholders and each other.

For public affairs and comms professionals, with the right analytics tools, this is an unprecedented source of insight on their positions regarding issues which don’t always make the headlines. Far from the posturing within the House or the micro-managed interventions in mainstream media, the social ecosystem offers a chance for politicians to express their views filter-free, if they so choose.

It is also an opportunity to engage with them. While targeting Secretaries of State via Twitter is a fool’s errand – for a number of reasons including time pressures and delegated channel management – it is worth knowing those MPs who genuinely engage with the platform.

So, a month in, can we infer who the rising social media stars from this Parliament might be? We’ve had a go.

Our approach

As a starting point, we looked at a combination of metrics: volume of posts, reach and engagement, across Twitter and Facebook – the two most popular social platforms among UK politicians.

We decided to ignore returning MPs like Jo Swinson and Stephen Lloyd from the Lib-Dems, or Zac Goldsmith from the Conservatives. While they are undoubtedly social media heavyweights, we thought it would be more interesting to focus on new faces who might not be as well known.

So here is our Top 5:

1) Luke Pollard MP (Labour)

Luke Pollard is a natural social media star. He has built up a sizeable following and has been posting regularly, even post-election. His content is engaging, a large share of his posts are replies in addition to original posts, and he often shares third-party content.

He regularly generates hundreds of interactions, and his videos are watched in the thousands. Pollard typically replies to private Facebook messages within an hour. And he also hosts a weekly Facebook Live Q&A, responding to questions on #AskLuke and #AskMeAnything, the last of which was watched 1.9k times and generated 62 comments. One to watch.

Twitter: @LukePollard (10.2k followers)

Facebook: @LukePollard (4.3k likes)

2) Dr Paul Williams MP (Labour)

Paul Williams’s Twitter and Facebook channels are in rude health. His regular posts are engaging, and often generate a few hundred interactions. He often replies to both tweets and Facebook comments, and typically replies to private Facebook messages within a few hours.

His videos are typically viewed thousands of times, including his maiden speech which was viewed 34k times (with these numbers, it might have been boosted by advertising). Regardless, Williams deserves his place on the social media podium.

Twitter: @paulwilliamsmp (2.3k followers)

Facebook: @DrPaul4StocktonSouth (3.5k likes, 4.1k followers)

3) Stephen Morgan MP (Labour)

Stephen Morgan let his engaging personality shine through via Facebook and Twitter. He posts regularly, usually generating dozens of interactions, and occasionally in the low hundreds (one post generated over 500 likes). His videos are watched thousands of times.

He rarely replies to comments publicly, however he does retweet local content. And he typically responds to private Facebook messages within seconds. The 5-star review should be taken with a pitch of salt – however the fact that Morgan has enabled the reviews feature at all is bold and to be commended.

Twitter: @sjmorganuk (2k followers)

Facebook: @stephen4portsmouth (3.5k likes, 4.1k followers)

4) John Lamont MP (Conservatives)

John Lamont boasts an impressive presence across both Twitter and Facebook. He posts regular and engaging content, a habit he has carried through post-election. His content is a mix of local, national and personal posts.

He uses a range of content formats varying between text, photos and video, and his posts often generate hundreds of interactions. Lamont regularly retweets third-party content, and occasionally engages with his community.

Twitter: @john2win (4.8k followers)

Facebook: @JohnLamontBorders (4.4k likes, 4.6k followers)

5) Christine Jardine (Lib-Dems)

Christine Jardine has built up a solid community on both Twitter and Facebook. She posts regularly, a mixture of original posts, replies and shares. The content she posts usually includes photos or videos, though it rarely includes comment. However, Jardine still generates dozens of interactions.

Her straight-talking personality shines through on Twitter, where she often engages with her community. She typically replies to private Facebook messages within an hour.

Twitter: @cajardineMP (3k followers)

Facebook: @CJLibDem (5.8k likes, 5.5k followers)

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It is still early days, and no doubt a handful of other stars will come into their own over the coming years. Meanwhile, some might retreat from social media, with their election victory in the bag. However, the first month is often a good indicator of future online behaviour.

We’d love to know your thoughts. Who would you add to this list? Answers on a postcard.