Cabinet ministers may regret having a royal blue backdrop for many of their pivotal speeches during the Tory Party conference this week, judging from how Twitter has responded.
That shade is ideal for imposing other images or footage onto it, similar to green screen. It is known for use in weather forecasts and in blockbuster films – and, now, for mocking the Conservatives.
It all began on Monday when chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng gave his speech to the party faithful on the same day he had performed a screeching U-turn over one part of his mini-budget.
Following significant backlash from experts and the drop in the pound value, he dropped plans to cut the 45p tax rate cut for those earning more than £150,000 each year.
Opening the tense speech where he tried to win back the Tory MPs annoyed at the government’s flip-flopping, Kwarteng said: “What a day! It has been tough, but we need to move forward.”
This entire message was then undermined when the clip was shared again on social media, this time by, the Twitter account calling itself Labour Party Graphic Designers.
It projected a clip from Sky News showing the pound falling off a cliff from last week behind Kwarteng, adding a new element to his speech.
The same account used a similar trick for the same speech – this time, adding a video of Truss reacting in shock when Kwarteng said: “We need to get on with delivery.”
The clip is from the summer, when Truss and then opponent Rishi Sunak were in a Tory leadership debate on TalkTV and the host collapsed.
Home secretary Suella Braverman was also mocked when footage from her speech on Tuesday made it onto Twitter.
She takes aim at “the poison of identity politics” and said the “left are attacking our profound, elemental values”.
“When this poison seeps into the public sphere, it distracts our public servants from doing their real job.”
The same account added a clip from Star Wars behind her, showing stormtroopers (elite troops) who fight for an authoritarian state (the Galactic Empire) as their figurehead condemns democracy...
A fan then shared their own version this time changing the backdrop for Therese Coffey, the health secretary.
They added footage from the audience who were actually watching Coffey’s speech – and falling asleep in the process.
Then, on Wednesday, Truss closed the conference by giving her own speech to all the members.
And the Twitter account did not hold back. Within minutes of her speech, the clip had been edited online. Behind her smiling face, images of skyrocketing household bills, Covid queues, the collapse of the pound last week and forecasts of the UK’s inflation were projected.
Labour Party Graphic Designers added the caption: “Political tip! Don’t stand in front of a blue screen if you’re in the middle of crashing the country.”
