Twitter craze : British PM reshuffles his cabinet

LONDON: Getting the latest news on a British government reshuffle once meant waiting outside the prime minister’s Downing Street office for ministers to emerge, and judging their fate by the look on their faces. But in the age of social media, David Cameron unveiled a major shake-up of his cabinet on Tuesday through his two official Twitter accounts, which between them boast 3.4 million followers. “I’ll be reshuffling the Cabinet today. Watch this Twitter feed for the very latest. #Reshuffle,” the premier announced overnight.  Government ministries routinely use Twitter and 461 of the 650 members of the House of Commons have accounts, with former foreign secretary William Hague one of the most enthusiastic users. It is not the first time the prime minister has used social media in this way, having unveiled a previous reshuffle in September 2012 through a string of tweets.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2014.