How Instagram became the politicians’ playground

Free from viral abuse, Instagram has become our MPs' preferred platform to show off their human side

Tom Watson is spiralising courgettes with a gadget bought in a supermarket sale. Caroline Flint looks thrilled with the mini trampoline she got for Christmas, though arguably not as thrilled as Tory leadership contender Liz Truss is to be posing with Larry the Downing Street cat on her knee. And Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, wants you to know he's been doing some DIY.

Welcome to the soothingly soporific world of politicians on Instagram. You won't find many profound insights on Brexit, admittedly. But in a week where two Conservative councillors were caught "liking" Facebook memes about beheading Sadiq Khan while Labour's Angela Rayner received death threats for tweeting something polite about Tony Blair, there's something undeniably restful about looking at pictures of Emily Thornberry stroking a penguin. If political Twitter feels increasingly like hard work, Instagram is one of the few places MPs still allow themselves to be playful.