The best MPs on Twitter: Nine – John Woodcock
Nine: John Woodcock
18/30
Entertaining 7
Informative 5
Engaging with constituents 3
Regularity 3
Woodcock has mastered one of the best qualities of Twitter: its informality. The Labour MP is funny, personable, independent-minded and engages with constituents. His conscious effort to make constituency surgeries more informal, for instance by assuring constituents that they do not need an appointment, is also very welcome. "A seagull just swooped down & has borne off with a sizeable hunk of cheese we were about to eat for our dinner. Every day I hate them more," he wrote recently. This tweet reveals a level of personality which is completely alien to the majority of MPs. "I didn't think it was possible to get sunburn on Walney, how wrong I was. Sunglasses lines making me look like a panda made out of bacon." A fine example of a Twitter account which breaks down some of the barriers between MPs and members of the public. Others – even those above him on this list – should take note.
