What every comms pro needs to know about where the UK's politicians get their news
The social media sites, podcasts and newsletters that MPs and other movers and shakers engage with
The media landscape is changing at pace – and keeping up with the latest developments and moves will give every comms expert an advantage over their rivals. Every week we will take a look at the media business from mainstream and ‘legacy’ media to cutting edge tech and the latest trends and developments – and how you can use that know-how.
Want to be hitting the media that the leading decision makers are watching and listening to? Then it’s got to be on social media.
That’s very much the message from a new survey of MPs about where they get their news from.
And the move to social media is if anything speeding up. Some 83% of MPs asked by YouGov cited social media as their primary source of news, up from 61% at the start of 2025.
That’s not to say mainstream news outlets are dead - 96% of MPs still visit newspaper websites at least once a week, with 89% visiting daily. And I’ve spoken about my experience as a special adviser in government not that long ago, where coverage in print still had an authority and standing that was appreciated by ministers.
But the direction of travel is clear, according to the survey of 105 MPs.
Daily newsletters are also popular among the UK’s lawmakers - Politico’s daily London Playbook newsletter was read by 48% of MPs, LabourList got 28% and The Times 23%.
Overall, 70% of MPs subscribe to at least one political newsletter – up from 61% last year.
Podcasts are also on the up. Nearly two-thirds of MPs listen to a podcast every week and nearly a third listen to one every day. The Rest Is Politics led the way, followed by The News Agents, Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction, the Sky/Politico joint effort Politics at Sam and Anne’s and The New Statesman Podcast.
A few thoughts on the survey. Interestingly, this current parliament elected in 2024 is the youngest ever, with the average age of MPs of 46 when elected (in 2019 it was 51). That might not seem that much, but it may well cross something of a dividing line between younger, native social media followers and an older generation (see below my thoughts on The Times’s subs).
