New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham built his first week in office around a creator-style social media strategy that has drawn direct comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, including one video that replicates a Mamdani composition tactic, according to a report from The Guardian.
Burnham’s team scrapped what The Guardian described as the “buttoned-up” social approach of predecessor Keir Starmer in favor of vertical, mobile-native video, policy announcements delivered informally, and collaborations with influencers. His TikTok following rose by approximately 73%, from just under 99,000 to more than 170,000, in his first week as PM, according to consultancy Knox Digital. Searches for “Andy Burnham” on TikTok surged by more than 2,000% day on day in the UK when he took office.
Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University, said Burnham has “gone all in on the TikTok style” with “very simple, clear policy pledges that cut through.” Burnham’s engagement rate for the week came in at 6.29%, narrowly ahead of the 6.23% Starmer posted during his own first week on TikTok in December 2025.
The most direct Mamdani reference came in a video announcing plans to cut VAT on energy bills, which drew more than 1 million views. The clip opens with Burnham tapping the camera and stepping backward, mirroring a video Mamdani posted in April to announce a pied-à-terre tax. Debbie Saslaw, co-founder of political ad agency Melted Solids, called the homage a positive sign that Burnham is “not shying away from these direct, creative references, while also doing some creative things of his own,” though she cautioned him against chasing Instagram meme trends, which she said “becomes automatically cringe, no matter who does it.”
Burnham’s team also produced videos with established creators and public figures rather than relying solely on original content. He joined Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah for Farah’s YouTube series Run With Mo, reposted to Farah’s 1.9 million Instagram followers, and appeared in the Career Ladder series hosted by Ukrainian creator Max Klymenko, who has more than 9 million TikTok followers. His highest-performing post of the week, a bus fare announcement filmed with London creator Bemi Orojuogun, known as “Bus Aunty,” drew 240,000 likes and more than two million views.
Mamdani’s own use of creator engagement predates Burnham’s tenure. As Net Influencer reported in October 2025, Mamdani’s mayoral campaign hosted more than 70 creators at an influencer-only briefing that reached a combined audience of over 77 million users, run through a grassroots group called “Creators for Zohran.”
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham built his first week in office around a creator-style social media strategy that has drawn direct comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, including one video that replicates a Mamdani composition tactic, according to a report from The Guardian.
Burnham’s team scrapped what The Guardian described as the “buttoned-up” social approach of predecessor Keir Starmer in favor of vertical, mobile-native video, policy announcements delivered informally, and collaborations with influencers. His TikTok following rose by approximately 73%, from just under 99,000 to more than 170,000, in his first week as PM, according to consultancy Knox Digital. Searches for “Andy Burnham” on TikTok surged by more than 2,000% day on day in the UK when he took office.
Andrew Chadwick, professor of political communication at Loughborough University, said Burnham has “gone all in on the TikTok style” with “very simple, clear policy pledges that cut through.” Burnham’s engagement rate for the week came in at 6.29%, narrowly ahead of the 6.23% Starmer posted during his own first week on TikTok in December 2025.
The most direct Mamdani reference came in a video announcing plans to cut VAT on energy bills, which drew more than 1 million views. The clip opens with Burnham tapping the camera and stepping backward, mirroring a video Mamdani posted in April to announce a pied-à-terre tax. Debbie Saslaw, co-founder of political ad agency Melted Solids, called the homage a positive sign that Burnham is “not shying away from these direct, creative references, while also doing some creative things of his own,” though she cautioned him against chasing Instagram meme trends, which she said “becomes automatically cringe, no matter who does it.”
Burnham’s team also produced videos with established creators and public figures rather than relying solely on original content. He joined Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah for Farah’s YouTube series Run With Mo, reposted to Farah’s 1.9 million Instagram followers, and appeared in the Career Ladder series hosted by Ukrainian creator Max Klymenko, who has more than 9 million TikTok followers. His highest-performing post of the week, a bus fare announcement filmed with London creator Bemi Orojuogun, known as “Bus Aunty,” drew 240,000 likes and more than two million views.
Mamdani’s own use of creator engagement predates Burnham’s tenure. As Net Influencer reported in October 2025, Mamdani’s mayoral campaign hosted more than 70 creators at an influencer-only briefing that reached a combined audience of over 77 million users, run through a grassroots group called “Creators for Zohran.”
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