LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman is among a group of Silicon Valley investors helping to fund Labour’s digital push against Reform UK on TikTok, raising new questions about the growing role of social media influencers in British politics.
Labor has hired FourOneOne, a digital marketing agency founded by figures behind the party’s 2024 general election campaign, to provide MPs with social media training and access to influencers. The firm has been tasked with helping Labor politicians boost their presence on platforms like TikTok, which the party increasingly sees as crucial to reaching younger voters.
Company filings show FourOneOne has a minority shareholder, Estratos Digital, a Vienna-based digital agency founded by two former Hungarian socialist politicians. Estratos himself is backed by Higher Ground Labs, a US venture capital fund with close ties to the Democratic Party in the United States.
Higher Ground Labs has raised funding from a number of prominent technology investors, including Hoffman, Ron Conway, an early backer of Google and PayPal, and Chris Sacca, who has invested in companies such as Twitter, Uber and Instagram. The fund has poured tens of millions of dollars into technology companies designed to support progressive political campaigns.
FourOneOne’s work for Labor included arranging influencer access to press conferences and high-profile events such as the party conference in return for social media coverage. The agency also provides one-to-one coaching for more than a dozen Labor MPs and runs wider training for the entire parliamentary party.
However, the company has come under fire after it was reported that it offered influencers cash payments in return for publishing “progressive” content online. Investigative media Declassified UK reported that FourOneOne offered journalist Amun Bains £50 a week to publish at least five videos, with the possibility of additional bonuses, including content that attacks reforms and promotes pro-Labour messages.
FourOneOne said the payments were part of its Amplifiers project and were unrelated to the Labor Party. A Labor spokesman declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of agreements with external contractors.
The agency is led by Nik Rutherford, a former music teacher and Labor councilor, and counts Assaf Kaplan, a former Israeli intelligence officer who worked as a Labor staffer, among its directors. His growing influence comes as Keir Starmer expands Labour’s digital presence, including opening his own TikTok account and publishing content on Substack.
Downing Street has also started hosting briefings and events specifically for online content creators. This week No 10 confirmed it would scrap its daily afternoon lobby briefings for political journalists and replace them with regular press conferences open to influencers and digital creatives.
Beyond the UK, Estratos has been involved in online political advertising campaigns across Europe, including supporting Rafał Trzaskowski’s unsuccessful bid for the Polish presidency earlier this year. Founded in 2017 by a former Obama campaign manager, Higher Ground Labs has invested more than $50 million in over 65 political and civic technology startups supporting Democratic causes.
Estratos Digital, FourOneOne and Higher Ground Labs have been contacted for comment.
