How Burnham communicates is as distinctive as how he dresses. He wears his heart on his short sleeves with a rhetorical style that is personal, plain-speaking and can be emotive, whereas Starmer’s delivery can seem staid and, at times, awkward.
The difference in styles is clearest in the way the two politicians use social media. Even in his social videos, Starmer is often smart, and the content is professionally produced, talking directly into a fixed camera.
Burnham’s team can also make slick films, but he shoots plenty of selfie videos on his phone, too — in the back of a cab or on a station platform. The impression given is of a close-up glimpse of an apparently ordinary man in settings that voters can instantly relate to.
“Burnham is meeting the voter, and future voters where they are — and that’s online,” said Katie Perrior, a former communications director in Theresa May’s Downing Street operation. “By posting regular updates, he is showing what he is up to as an antidote to Starmer, who they saw as being nowhere, even though he was putting in the hard yards behind the scenes.”
There are risks, though, to Burnham winning a following for his regular behind-the-scenes clips about his daily movements, said Perrior, founder and chair of iNHouse Communications. “The downside is it can appear celebrity-like and not serious enough, and may become tricky when the going gets tough.”
Football lads
Beneath the surface, Starmer and Burnham share many attributes. Ironically, according to Lyons, Starmer also loves to dress down whenever he can, “just not on camera.”