This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politicsnewsletter.

Time was when politicians took a break in the summer. Not any more. Today’s big beasts have a book to flog, a by-election to win, and a takeover of Number Ten to manage, and for that they need a media strategy.

So far, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage and Andy Burnham look like they are winging it.

Sturgeon must be hoping for a better Friday than last week, when the Daily Mail ran photos of her wearing a white vest and pedal pushers as she lunched al fresco at a Notting Hill cafe. Now, everyone thinks they take a bad photo. Some of us have passport photos that look like we were sprung from Prisoner Cell Block H five minutes before. These, however, were something else. 

Andy Burnham takes a selfie with fans ahead of the Betfred Super League match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool. (Image: Nigel French/PA Wire.)

It was the first time she had been seen in public since her estranged husband was jailed for embezzlement, so there was a genuine story. If nothing else, it illustrated how her life had changed. When she was First Minister, she would have had aides around her to spot a lurking photographer. At a minimum, they would have advised sitting inside. She’ll know next time because there will be one. While she no longer holds public office, she is........

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