If Grant Shapps’ recent efforts are anything to go by, Rishi’s in serious danger of being dethroned as the cabinet king of self-promotion. Co-conspirators will recall Shapps’ series of entertaining short videos promoting various DfT projects – one featuring Michael Portillo – which went down a storm on social media and in Westminster. Now Shapps is doubling down on newfound comedic talents by becoming the latest MP to board the TikTok train. Just this morning, Shapps released another clip promoting the new half-price rail tickets…

Currently Shapps is sitting on nearly 6000 followers, which is still comfortably behind the Tories’ TikTok superstar Dr Luke Evans on 17,600. Both are blown out of the water by app veteran Zarah Sultana though, who’s now on over 305,000. Although unlike Sultana, Shapps and Evans haven’t yet broken Commons rules by recording in the Commons library… 

Guido understands the mind behind Shapps’s hot new content – including the Portillo classic – isn’t Spielberg, Scorsese, or Nolan: it’s his comms SpAd, Neil Tweedie. Sounding out whether Team Rishi are nervous about Shapps’ comms revolution, Guido was told they are enjoying his video output. Admittedly gritted teeth are difficult to convey via WhatsApp…