Keir Starmer's TikTok Debut Assessed as Borderline Competent
A Guardian piece by Matilda Boseley published on December 12, 2025, evaluates Keir Starmer's debut on TikTok as borderline competent. The videos adopt an ultra short-form cinema vérité style, following Starmer with scenes such as greeting security guards and mentioning Zelensky, alongside a plane window shot captioned as classified. The objective is to portray Starmer as relatable to young UK voters, though the approach focuses more on projecting competence than on authenticity.
The article uses the term "aura farming" to describe his attempts to appear effortlessly suave on the platform. Notably, Starmer does not engage directly with the camera or participate in comment sections, a style shaped in part by restrictions on TikTok use on government devices. Two of his TikTok videos have exceeded a million views; however, overall engagement is moderated by generic and non-substantive comments.
Compared to figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Julian Hill, Starmer's presence is criticized for lacking authentic and personal posts. His content is regarded more as a novelty rather than substantive and is not easily shareable or discussion-worthy beyond the image it tries to convey. The article suggests that Starmer could improve by embracing his nerdy persona openly rather than hiding it, making a tongue-in-cheek note about his "classified ideas."
