Could Chuka be plotting a new run at leadership?
WHEN Labour’s Chuka Umunna launched his short-lived bid to seize the party leadership after the 2015 election, he chose social media to announce his intentions.
But his three-minute Facebook video was laden with dull statistics, delivered in a fumbling style and against a backdrop of wind interfering with the sound, so the handsome former Shadow Business Secretary failed to get his message across.
He pulled out of the leadership contest soon after, citing a desire to protect his private life from ‘scrutiny’.
Is smooth- talking Umunna, dubbed the ‘ British Obama’, planning for a more polished leadership push through his favourite medium, the internet?
For it can be revealed that Umunna has just taken £17,500 worth of social media and communications advice.
The intensive, month-long course earlier this year was provided by groovy East London public relations company Karmarama, which has just been bought at vast expense by management consulting giant Accenture.
Karmarama says: ‘We’re a progressive creative business committed to doing the right thing for our people, our clients and their customers.
‘We combine creative excellence with technology-inspired solutions. This means we can help clients with their business challenges now, as well as plan for their business opportunities next.’
A protege of Peter Mandelson, Chuka reveals his social media crash course in the latest register of members’ financial interests at the House of Commons.
He has 193,000 followers on Twitter, is ‘liked’ by 65,250 folk on Facebook and has 4,085 ‘fans’ watching his every move on Instagram, where he lists watching Gogglebox as a pastime and a previous hobby as a DJ.
As well as the expensive media training, Umunna has seen his financial war chest go up £75,000 since January.
He accepted £50,000 from donor Michael Spalter and £25,000 from David and Rosalind Cleevely to fund staff salaries and expenses.
Since his abandoned leadership bid, he has got married to City lawyer Alice Sullivan.