Politicians who shun TikTok lose way to reach many voters, Tory MP warns

Politicians are at risk of ignoring a large chunk of the electorate because of their reluctance to communicate on TikTok, according to a Tory MP who has one of the biggest followings of any UK politician on the social media platform.

- Kiran Stacey

Luke Evans, who is the sixth most followed UK politician on TikTok, said his colleagues were missing out on engaging particularly with young voters because of security concerns and a lack of knowledge about the platform.

TikTok has been Britain's fastest-growing source of news for several years. The regulator Ofcom calculates that 11% of adults in the UK use the platform as a news source, rising to 30% among children aged 12-15, of whom 12% cite it as their main source.

"You've got to be where the electorate are," Evans told the Guardian. "This is one of the biggest apps that is used across the country and across the world. I think it's right to be there, to be talking to people.

"And from a party political point of view, if you're crowded out and you're not speaking to people, that space will get filled. Hearing 20% of someone versus nothing from someone else is huge."

Only 10% of Conservative MPs use TikTok, according to a recent Guardian analysis, compared with nearly 25% of their Labour colleagues.