This is how Birmingham MPs use Twitter

Twitter is in the news more than ever as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk set to purchase the social media platform.

It’s usually the place where the hot topics of the day are discussed, but recently it has become one of the hottest topics of the day itself.

Debates are raging about how it may alter under the ownership of Musk, who cofounded the electronic-payment firm PayPal and formed SpaceX, maker of launch vehicles and spacecraft. Will he bring back banned accounts - like Donald Trump?! Will he make users pay? What about the bots?

As the discussions continue we’ve taken a look at how Birmingham MPs currently use it and how many followers they attract.

Here’s what we found.

Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Yardley

Jess Phillips is more active on Twitter than almost any other MP, analysis of her online activity reveals.

We take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Yardley is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Jess Phillips’s Twitter account (@JessPhillips) by Motive PR shows she had sent around 74,100 tweets between first joining the website on February 1 2009 and March 29 this year.

It means the 40-year-old sends an average of around 15.6 tweets per day – equating to a whopping 469 per month.

However, Ms Phillips has had this account since before she was elected to the seat – on May 7 2015.

This is one of the highest tweet rates of all 650 MPs, but behind fellow Labour MP Karl Turner who is the most prolific tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

Around one in 10 representatives did not have an account at the time the research was done.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Jess Phillips, who has an opposition role, had around 519,000 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Preet Kaur Gill, Labour (Co-op) MP for Edgbaston

Preet Kaur Gill has sent tens of thousands of tweets since setting up her account, analysis of her online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour (Co-op) MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Preet Kaur Gill’s Twitter account (@PreetKGillMP) by Motive PR shows she had sent around 35,200 tweets between first joining the website on June 1 2012 and March 29 this year.

It means the Member sends an average of around 9.9 tweets per day – equating to a whopping 298 per month.

However, Ms Gill has had this account since before she was elected to the seat – on June 8 2017.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Preet Kaur Gill, who serves as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, had around 40,300 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Hodge Hill

Liam Byrne has sent tens of thousands of tweets since setting up his account, analysis of his online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Hodge Hill is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Liam Byrne’s Twitter account (@BaldemortMP) by Motive PR shows he had sent around 22,800 tweets between first joining the website on March 1 2009 and March 29 this year.

It means the 51-year-old sends an average of around 4.8 tweets per day – equating to a sizeable 145 per month.

This account was created after Mr Byrne was elected to his seat – on July 15 2004.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Liam Byrne, who serves as a backbench MP, had around 38,300 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Selly Oak

Steve McCabe has sent more than 10,000 tweets since setting up his account, analysis of his online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Selly Oak is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Steve McCabe’s Twitter account (@Steve_McCabe) by Motive PR shows he had sent around 11,200 tweets between first joining the website on February 1 2009 and March 29 this year.

It means the 66-year-old sends an average of around 2.4 tweets per day – equating to 71 per month.

This account was created after Mr McCabe was elected to his seat – on May 1 1997.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Steve McCabe, who serves as a backbench MP, had around 18,900 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Perry Barr

Khalid Mahmood has sent thousands of tweets since setting up his account, analysis of his online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Perry Barr is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Khalid Mahmood’s Twitter account (@Khalid4PB) by Motive PR shows he had sent around 4,900 tweets between first joining the website on February 1 2015 and March 29 this year.

It means the 60-year-old sends an average of around 1.9 tweets per day – equating to 57 per month.

This account was created after Mr Mahmood was elected to his seat – on June 7 2001.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Khalid Mahmood, who serves as a backbench MP, had around 7,000 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Shabana Mahmood, Labour MP for Ladywood

Shabana Mahmood has sent thousands of tweets since setting up her account, analysis of her online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Ladywood is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Shabana Mahmood’s Twitter account (@ShabanaMahmood) by Motive PR shows she had sent around 5,500 tweets between first joining the website on November 1 2011 and March 29 this year.

It means the 41-year-old sends an average of around 1.5 tweets per day – equating to 44 per month.

This account was created after Ms Mahmood was elected to her seat – on May 6 2010.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Shabana Mahmood, who serves as National campaign co-ordinator, had around 25,400 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Paulette Hamilton, Labour MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton has sent thousands of tweets since setting up her account, analysis of her online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Erdington is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Paulette Hamilton’s Twitter account (@PauletteHamilto) by Motive PR shows she had sent around 6,900 tweets between first joining the website on April 1 2010 and March 29 this year.

It means the Member sends an average of less than one tweet per day – putting out just 0 per month.

However, Mrs Hamilton has had this account since before she was elected to the seat – on March 3 2022.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Paulette Hamilton, who serves as a backbench MP, had around 7,500 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Tahir Ali, Labour MP for Hall Green

Tahir Ali has sent hundreds of tweets since setting up his account, analysis of his online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Labour MP for Birmingham, Hall Green is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Tahir Ali’s Twitter account (@TahirAliMP) by Motive PR shows he had sent around 800 tweets between first joining the website on May 1 2011 and March 29 this year.

It means the Member sends an average of less than one tweet per day – putting out just 6 per month.

However, Mr Ali has had this account since before he was elected to the seat – on December 12 2019.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Fellow Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Tahir Ali, who serves as a backbench MP, had around 3,600 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Gary Sambrook, Conservative MP for Northfield

Gary Sambrook has sent thousands of tweets since setting up his account, analysis of his online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we take a look at how active the Conservative MP for Birmingham, Northfield is on the social media platform.

Analysis of Gary Sambrook’s Twitter account (@GarySambrook89) by Motive PR shows he had sent around 2,700 tweets between first joining the website on September 1 2011 and March 29 this year.

It means the Member sends an average of less than one tweet per day – putting out just 21 per month.

However, Mr Sambrook has had this account since before he was elected to the seat – on December 12 2019.

The average MP that has an account sends 3.5 tweets per day, but around one in 10 representatives did not have one at the time the research was done.

Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific Tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Gary Sambrook, who serves as a backbench MP, had around 5,400 followers by the end of March.

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

Andrew Mitchell, Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield

Andrew Mitchell is one of just a few dozen MPs not to have an active Twitter account, analysis of his online activity reveals.

In the last of our series looking at the work of our politicians, we analyse how active the Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield is on social media.

But analysis by Motive PR shows that Andrew Mitchell did not have a Twitter account at the time the research was done at the end of March.

This means he is one of just 57 MPs not using the popular social media app.

MPs that do have an account send an average of 3.5 tweets per day, while Labour MP Karl Turner is the most prolific tweeter – sending an average of 26.1 per day for 12 years.

The roughly 600 MPs with accounts had sent almost 8 million tweets between them by the end of March.

But Motive said they found little correlation between the number of tweets and retweets an MP sent, and the number of followers they have.

Despite his steady output, Mr Turner has fewer than 41,000 followers – below the average of 54,300 for MPs with accounts.

And though he has tweeted fewer than 6,000 times, Boris Johnson’s account is followed by 4.1 million people.

The Prime Minister is one of just four MPs with more than a million followers – ahead of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (2.4 million), current Labour leader Keir Starmer (1.2 million) and ex-PM Theresa May (1 million).

Of parties with at least 10 members, Labour was reaching the largest section of the electorate – with an average of 63,500 followers each.

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party’s 45 members averaged just 29,300 each.

Despite not taking their seats in the Commons due to their abstentionist policy, Sinn Fein MPs have tweeted almost 80,000 times from their official accounts.

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