The top five most mentioned charities by MPs on Twitter have been revealed in latest analysis.

The research looked at mentions of charities by MPs in their Tweets during 2020 and found that the Royal British Legion was the most talked about by Westminster politicians.

This included backing on Twitter from among others Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the charity’s annual poppy campaign and support for veterans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

No virus will stop us from honouring the memory of the servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Today, as every day, we will remember them.
#LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/PuQz2I8NP8

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 8, 2020

The second most Tweeted charity was the Samaritans, which has impressed MPs with its work on tackling social isolation amid the pandemic.

The Mental Health Foundation is third, with the Arts Council for England and Macmillan Cancer Support completing the top five.

Labour MPs mentioned charities marginally more often than their Conservative counterparts, with SNP MPs mentioning charities more often than Lib Dem MPs.

It was great to join @samaritans today to encourage people to get together and connect over a virtual cuppa in these tough times. Join in and reach out for a virtual cuppa and a chat with your friends, family, or colleagues to turn #BlueMonday into #BrewMonday pic.twitter.com/xtF237nFSL

— Rachel Hopkins MP 💙 (@rach_hopkins) January 18, 2021

The figures have been compiled by Poli Monitor, which looked for charity mentions among one millions Tweets by MPs. This found 10,098 mentions of charities over 2020, which is 1% of all MP Tweets.

This exceeds the previous record of social media engagement between MPs and charities, according to Poli Monitor as more politicians use social media platforms amid the health crisis.

PoliMonitor looked at mentions of the UK’s most popular 100 charities, as defined by latest polling by YouGov.

"These Tweets can range from showing support, sharing a hashtag of a charity's latest campaign, defending, or, occasionally, criticising charities for their work, key metrics for charities looking to continue their important work under difficult circumstances with the help of elected representatives online in spreading their message,” said PoliMonitor.

“MPs including Prime Minister Boris Johnson took to Twitter like never before to back the Royal British Legion's annual poppy campaign, whose work in supporting veterans in the midst of coronavirus made their work more important than ever.

"Elsewhere, Arts Council England - also a non- departmental public body - received plaudits online for its role in the distribution of the Culture Recovery Fund.

“The Samaritans received thanks for their work in tackling loneliness throughout this difficult year in the midst of lockdown, especially on World Mental Health Day in October, with MPs using Twitter to recommend Samaritans to their constituents."

Sam Cunningham, co-founder of the political monitoring firm, said the low proportion of Tweets by MPs mentioning charities could be higher if voluntary organisations ramp up their online lobbying.

“I think 2020 showed how charities really need to embrace digital advocacy, with some doing way better than others, but also how far they have to go, with mentions in only 1% of MPs Tweets,” he said.

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