Aged 21, has Dov Forman transformed how British politicians talk to the public?

But is the secret behind the success of Jenrick’s videos – and seeming side-hustle as a content creator – a 21-year-old Jewish student?

JC readers will be familiar with Dov Forman and not just for his occasional columns in this paper. He was named as one of Time magazine’s top 100 content creators of 2025.

Forman and his late great-grandmother Lily Ebert helped bring Holocaust education to the TikTok generation.

He filmed and shared videos of her recalling her suffering at Auschwitz and experiences through the Holocaust, reaching over a billion views across all platforms and amassing more than 2 million followers. He also co-wrote her book, Lily’s Promise.

Forman, now Jenrick’s head of digital strategy, is credited by some in Westminster as a key reason for the success of his videos and their impact on the news agenda, and he is seen by some as a pioneer in digital political communications.

It was through his great-grandmother that in 2021 he was first introduced to Jenrick, who at the time was communities and local government secretary, at an event after the planned Westminster Holocaust Memorial next to Parliament was granted planning permission.

According to Forman’s own posts, the pair remained in touch, with Jenrick introducing him to Rishi Sunak during his leadership bid to head the Conservative Party back in 2022. Forman formally began working for Jenrick in 2023 and was part of his leadership bid team in 2024, before Kemi Badenoch won to become party leader.

During the campaign, the pair plotted an attention-grabbing stunt: going out for a jog donning clothing with the slogan “Hamas are terrorists”, referencing the outrage following the arrest – and subsequent de-arrest – of a counter-demonstrator at a pro-Palestine protest who carried a sign with the same slogan, despite the fact that Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation under UK law.

Conservative sources the JC spoke to insisted that the success of Jenrick’s videos was very much a team effort, rather than down to any one individual.

Often it is Jenrick himself who comes up with ideas for the videos.

Forman, however, is credited with a “speed is king” strategy: getting high-quality video footage making a powerful point out as quickly as possible in a unique way that will grab the attention of social media scrollers – including members of the media – and will distinguish it from the usual output from politicians.

It is not uncommon for MPs to simply repost footage from their interventions in the chamber of the House of Commons to make a point on any given topic.

But what distinguishes Jenrick’s videos is often him walking and talking while making his arguments.

In one video Jenrick waved around a Nintendo 64 game console controller and a bag of Haribo to make a point about the “cushy” conditions enjoyed by violent criminals. It was ridiculous, he argued, that prison officers were forced to bring sweets and computer games to murderers like Southport killer Axel Rudakubana.

While some commentators and political opponents have sought to ridicule the shadow justice secretary, others are cautioning against complacency.

Paul Richards, a former special adviser who offers communications advice to Labour MPs, told the JC: “It’s easy to scoff and dismiss Jenrick’s forays into content creation. Yet his videos are making him a household name, forcing his issues onto the mainstream media.”

He continued: “The more they mock, the more he’s heard. MPs must recognise the old-school media round and clip on Today In Parliament is no longer enough. Tomorrow’s MPs must create content not merely deliver ‘lines to take’.”

Richards’s advice is being heeded by at least one Labour minister the JC spoke to who said that the success of Jenrick’s videos was forcing them and their parliamentary colleagues to completely up re-evaluate the digital content they produce.

“If I’m being totally honest, Jenrick’s videos have made a lot of us change how we do our comms,” they said, adding: “Some Labour MPs are taking on staff with video experience.”

Indeed, the minister insisted that some colleagues were looking to emulate Jenrick: “We live in a changing world where people increasingly get their news via social media clips. We have to adapt to that reality.”

According to one Jenrick insider, Forman’s impact on Westminster ought to be recognised, saying he was “basically responsible for the politician ‘walk and talk’ video”, adding: “There are lots of people that can do good stuff that's already been invented, inventing a new format is pretty special.”

They described Forman as “an extraordinary young man” who is “wise beyond his years” and although they didn’t think he deserved sole credit for the success of Jenrick’s videos – describing him as “an essential part of the team” – they still praised his seemingly instinctive “knack” for knowing what sort of content will do well.

“What Dov does best is just being ready and willing to film stuff at a moment's notice, throw himself into it, and just having a real feel where people are,” they said.

While some in Westminster might think that “social media is magic”, the insider suggested that is a simplistic understanding that doesn’t appreciate the work and knowledge that goes into a successful clip, which Forman is a pioneer in channelling. “Social media relies upon the emotions, the feelings, the sentiments, the shared experience of the people watching it. And what Dov does best is he gets what people are thinking and feeling and sensing.”