The Top 50 Political Influencers in the UK

With 29 March and the Brexit deadline fast approaching, there’s never been a more exciting time to cover politics – but with the media in rapid flux, who really sets the agenda?

Vuelio has curated the Top 50 Political Influencers working in the media, download the full list here.

When it comes to politics, the digital media environment continues to develop in novel, sometimes unanticipated, ways – with some serious consequences. New media have radically altered the ways in which Government institutions operate, political leaders communicate, and campaigns are fought.

While every major vote since Obama’s first presidential victory in 2008 has been heralded as some kind of ‘social media’ event, in the UK the 2016 referendum and 2017 General Election broke new ground with alternative political voices not only loudly opposing mainstream views, but also seeming to wield genuine influence over the electoral outcomes. The work of unashamedly partisan individuals or small collectives, at least part of the appeal of this new commentariat was their distance from the Westminster bubble.

Although new media has complicated the political media system, it has by no means dismantled it. Legacy media – radio and television news programmes, even newspapers – coexist with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Indeed, content produced by the mainstream is fed upon by emerging influencers, increasing its reach and impact even as it is transformed under the weight of myriad digital judgements.

The Top 50 Political Influencers reflects this evolving media, including broadcasters and print journalists in addition to bloggers and other digital influencers. Those on the list include the most politically informed, those with the best contacts and membership of the right WhatsApp groups for the inside track on breaking news and the latest leaks, and those able to lead conversations across a range of social media platforms.

In these many different ways, each of the 50 has the power to shape politics in the UK – and together, they do.

Vuelio is renowned for its media rankings, with the top blog rankings, across all topics and industries, famous the world over. With in-house research teams covering both the media and political landscapes, as well as content and data feeds being analysed by proprietary algorithms, we are uniquely placed to curate this list of political influencers from the world of media.

The ranking takes into consideration a huge range of factors, including audience, engagement, industry recognition and platforms, alongside a research-led qualitative assessment. The list includes a small number of politicians where they are deemed to also have a significant media role relating to politics.