The dominant narrative of the last 24 hours centred on domestic economic pressures, specifically the cost of living and workers’ rights. This was driven by two highly engaged posts from the Shadow Chancellor and Deputy Leader. Across 42 relevant posts, the key themes were economic policy, technology promotion, and defence. The top-performing post was from Rachel Reeves, which called on energy providers to pass on budget cuts to customers, achieving over 1,100 favorites.
Three Major Themes
- Economic Policy & Workers’ Rights: A significant focus was placed on the Employment Rights Bill, with senior Labour figures criticising Conservative hereditary peers for voting against it. This was coupled with a strong push from the Shadow Chancellor on energy companies to lower consumer bills.
- Science & Technology Promotion: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, alongside the Secretary of State, heavily promoted a visit to the US to strengthen tech partnerships and launched a new ‘Women in Tech Taskforce’ to address sector inequality.
- Defence & Foreign Policy: The Ministry of Defence announced new investment in defence innovation and skills, while the Foreign Office and senior ministers engaged in diplomatic outreach with the Maldives and commented on international political events in Chile and Hong Kong.
The reporting period began with a strong focus on defence and technology. The Ministry of Defence announced a Defence Technical Excellence Colleges competition to build skills, an initiative also highlighted by Defence Secretary John Healey who noted it was part of a plan to fix the fragmented state of defence innovation. On the tech front, Liz Kendall promoted her visit to the US to help more British startups grow and thrive. The initial shots were fired in what would become a dominant narrative, with Jo Stevens stating it was time for Tory hereditary peers to stop blocking the Employment Bill. The Department of Health and Social Care also shared a clip of Wes Streeting calling the decision by resident doctors to strike at Christmas “unconscionable”.
The evening saw the highest engagement post of the period, as Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves praised Octopus Energy and British Gas for their decision to pass on the full Budget energy cuts to all customers and called on others to follow suit. On the foreign policy front, the FCDO condemned the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. David Lammy reported a call with the President of the Maldives to discuss counter-terrorism and trade. The Employment Bill narrative was reinforced by Jo Stevens, who stated that Labour had a huge mandate to deliver the biggest upgrade to employment rights. Yvette Cooper concluded the evening by congratulating Chile’s newly elected president.
The morning began with a series of government announcements. The Department for Business and Trade revealed an upgraded Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Korea, while Keir Starmer focused on domestic health policy, promising to make urgent NHS dental care easier to access. The political temperature rose significantly when Angela Rayner posted a highly-engaged tweet stating that 33 Tory hereditary peers voted against the Employment Rights Bill, potentially denying statutory sick pay to low earners. This was followed by Rachel Reeves confirming that E.ON would also pass on energy bill savings. The Home Office also weighed in on a key issue, stating that while asylum claims fall across Europe, in the UK they are rising, and vowing to remove illegal migrants.
Outlook / Emerging Trends
The government is likely to continue its two-pronged economic messaging strategy. Firstly, by highlighting cost-of-living wins, such as pressuring energy companies to lower bills. Secondly, by using the House of Lords’ opposition to the Employment Rights Bill as a political tool to frame the Conservative party as an obstacle to improving conditions for working people. This creates a clear narrative of fighting for ordinary families against vested interests, which will likely be a recurring theme in the lead-up to April when the bill’s effects would be felt.
