British PM reshuffles his cabinet on Twitter

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.
When his Conservative party was still in
opposition in 2009, Cameron famously
explained his reluctance to join Twitter,
saying: "The instantness of it, I think -
too many twits might make a twat."
But he is now firmly on board, and amid
the swirling and often contradictory
rumours in Westminster, @Number10gov
and @David_Cameron became
authoritative sources of information
about who was in and who was out.
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.
Hague would often tweet reaction to
breaking news to his 240 000 followers
well before an official statement arrived
from the Foreign Office - to the
occasional consternation of the staff in
the press office.
Hague's replacement, former defence
secretary Philip Hammond, has yet to set
up an official account and a
spokesperson said it was "too early" to
say how he would use social media.
True to form, Hague announced his
resignation via @WilliamJHague on
Monday night just as Cameron tweeted a
message of thanks for his four years in
the job.
Since then, there have been 260 000
tweets about the reshuffle, and 100 000
mentions of the term, according to an
analysis by Twitter.
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.
Twitter also allowed those who had been
promoted to crow about their new job,
and those who were passed over to have
the final word.
Former defence secretary Liam Fox had
been widely tipped to return to the
cabinet, but as speculation grew about
his failure to be promoted, he tweeted a
statement pointing out that he had been
offered a job - but had turned it down.
Former climate change minister Greg
Barker, meanwhile, gave thanks for the
online support after he was shown the
door.
"As we all know Twitter can be a cruel
mistress at times but have been really
moved & surprised by so many lovely
messages. #ThankYou," he tweeted.
AFP follow @ikanzee_rr