An incredible thread by a member of the Yorkshire Teaโ€™s social media team to urge Twitter users to โ€œtry to be kindโ€ after the firm got involved in a row that started with a tweet posted by the new Chancellor Rishi Sunak.


First published in February 2020.

So itโ€™s been a rough weekend.

On Friday, the Chancellor shared a photo of our tea.


Politicians do that sometimes (Jeremy Corbyn did it in 2017).


We werenโ€™t asked or involved โ€“ and we said so the same day.



Lots of people got angry with us all the same.

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Weโ€™ve spent the last three days answering furious accusations and boycott calls.

For some, our tea just being drunk by someone they donโ€™t like means itโ€™s forever tainted, and theyโ€™ve made sure we know it.

Itโ€™s been pretty shocking to see the determination some have had to drag us into a political mudfight. But itโ€™s been lovely to see others speak up for us โ€“ weโ€™re so grateful to everyone whoโ€™s done that in a civil way (and gutted to see some use it as a reason for more nastiness).

Speaking directly now, as the person whoโ€™s been answering these tweets, I know it could have been much worse. Itโ€™s easier to be on the receiving end of this as a brand than as an individual. Thereโ€™s more emotional distance and Iโ€™ve had a team to support me when it got a bit much.

But for anyone about to vent their rage online, even to a company โ€“ please remember thereโ€™s a human on the other end of it, and try to be kind.


Tweets posted on 24 February 2020 by @YorkshireTea.






[This piece was first published as a Twitter thread and turned into the above article on 24 February 2020 with the purpose of reaching a larger audience. It has been minorly edited and corrected. | The author of the tweets writes in a personal capacity.]

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