With the government once again mired in scandal, the Leader of the Opposition has been rallying Britain with a series of condemnatory tweets.
Not a day goes by without them holding the likes of Rishi Sunak to account, with their scrutiny of Tory ministers finding a large audience.
There has also been criticism of the government from Labour’s Keir Starmer.
Who’s the Leader of the Opposition then?
Carol Vorderman.
Maths Carol Vorderman?
Yes. Best known for her 26-year stint on Countdown, since leaving the Channel 4 quiz show she has appeared on the likes of I’m a Celebrity and Strictly Come Dancing, with a regular slot on Loose Women between 2011 and 2014.
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And now she’s standing up to the government?
Her targets are those in positions of power who she believes have exploited their status for personal gain. She has recently been particularly vocal about Michelle Mone’s PPE controversy, ‘conflict of interest’ allegations surrounding BBC chairman Richard Sharp’s appointment, Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs and questions surrounding Rishi Sunak’s links with Moderna.
How has this been received?
She is now a cult figure online, with over 650,000 Twitter followers.
Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess tweeted: “Carol Vorderman helping bring down the government wasn’t on my 2023 bingo card, but I’m very much here for it”, while Scottish author and rapper Darren McGarvey said: “Welcome to Britain, where the only thing standing between us and the jaws of corporate tyranny is Carol Vorderman.”
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Are her tweets having an impact on public opinion?
On Tuesday, she tweeted: “IT’S HAPPENING. Someone told me this week that a Tory friend of his had been out canvassing in a classic London Tory stronghold. He said he’d never had as many doors slammed in his face as he did this week. Keep on slamming.”
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) January 31, 2023
By Wednesday morning, this had been retweeted over 8,000 times. To put that into perspective, a typical post from Rishi Sunak will be shared by 4-500 people.
Has there been a backlash?
While the Mail suggested that some “have branded her a ‘champagne socialist’ and a ‘leftie luvvie’ over her dogged criticism of the government”, most press coverage has been positive.
In fairness, it’s hard to read a political stance into the Star’s ‘Carol Vorderman parades killer curves as she writhes around in cheeky dance clip’ or the Mirror’s ‘Carol Vorderman parades killer curves as she writhes around in cheeky dance clip’.
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What next?
If only there was some kind of visual metaphor to tie in a former Countdown star and a government’s loosening grip on power. A ticking clock, maybe.
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