Conservatives’ social media strategy ’10 years out of date’, says Robert Jenrick

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The Conservatives’ social media strategy is “10 years out of date”, according to leadership candidate Robert Jenrick.

Mr Jenrick labelled the party’s strategy as “really poor” during the general election campaign and said he wants to draw inspiration from the Conservative Party of Canada.

Speaking at an event organised by the Conservative Women’s Organisation at the Conservative Party conference, he said his party has to be “much better” in its approach.

The leadership hopeful told the session: “Our social media as a party is 10 years out of date. It was really poor at this general election.

“Miles worse than in 2019 and the world has moved on a lot during that period. So we’ve got to be so much better.”

Referring to the social media content he is producing as part of his own leadership campaign, Mr Jenrick said it is not just a matter of “self-promotion” but “it’s about how do we sell Conservative ideas and values to people”.

“How do we reach over an often left-wing media into people’s living rooms, on to people’s phones and trying to get a new generation of people to believe in Conservative values?” he asked.

Mr Jenrick added: “We can be so much better and I want to do that.”

He told the panel that he takes “inspiration” from the Conservative Party of Canada, which “through great social media, really good communication, they’re able to explain to a broad audience of people including younger people” and now “appear to be on the cusp of winning an election”.

Mr Jenrick is standing against Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Kemi Badenoch for the Conservative leadership, with the winner of the contest due to be announced at the start of November.