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The Conservative Party had to hold a training session to show members and MPs how to act like a ‘real person’ on Instagram.

Newly minted party chairman Brandon Lewis took on the tricky task of making Tories look normal on social media, in a bid to encourage more young people to get involved.

It came after a string of extremely awkward backstage snaps from last year’s Tory conference were posted to their official Instagram account, showing several senior Cabinet ministers looking about as human as a nest of tables.

But recent months have seen a marked increase in Tories looking a bit less teaky online, with noted cheese and pork enthusiast Liz Truss and tarantula-owning Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson leading the charge.

Although, in fairness, Gavin has always been quite good on social media. Here, for example, is a picture of him looking absolutely delighted to be holding the 2015 Champion Black Pudding.

(Image: Facebook)

But if you’ve ever wondered what advice the Tories gave to their members on how to be more ‘real’, you’re in luck.

The powerpoint for the session has finally been leaked to the BBC . Here's what's in it.

1. Instagram is GOOD for reaching YOUNG PEOPLE and we don’t HAVE MANY OF THOSE

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

2. Don’t walk before you can run

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

3. OK, let’s try crawling first

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

There’s an entire slide to take attendees through how the buttons on Instagram work. Because phones can be complicated.

Quite why they’ve chosen to use a picture of someone taking a selfie of Boris Johnson where you can’t see the Foreign Secretary’s face as an example here is unclear.

4. People are GOOD THINGS

Using the example of noted Instagram expert Gavin Williamson, the Tories have made the astonishing discovery that people are good things, and we should take more photos of them.

A great example there of the "standard to-camera smiling shot".

5. Here are some other things that are good

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

If you look closely, you'll learn that Johnny Mercer MP has a fancy coffee machine.

6. Remember, the people want to see you working

For some reason they chose this image posted by a man called NIck Weston, who owns a ‘foraging and cookery school’ to illustrate this.

The slide says “people like seeing your process”. By which they presumbly mean: “They pay your £77,000 salary, and want to see you doing something for it.”

7. Why not try being PLAYFUL?

Apparently, a picture of a red box on some stairs, posted by Tory MP Sam Gyimah is a great example of PLAYFUL CONTENT.

8. Real people use stickers, emojis and hashtags, and so does Sir Peter Bottomley

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC) (Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

Here’s how Sir Peter Bottomley is Playful, with Margaret Thatcher

9. Nobody goes to Instagram looking for a zoomed out map or a warning that they probably drink too much

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

Be chill, fellow Tories. Use your own pictures.

10. Why not try interacting with the real people you would like to vote for you?

(Image: Conservative Party via BBC) (Image: Conservative Party via BBC)

Encouraging Tories who needed to go to a seminar on how to look normal on the internet to post replies to constituents in the evening seems risky.

So did it work?

Judge for yourself. Here’s some posts by Tory politicians before and after the course was run.

Before

This was actually used in the seminar as an example of a boring post

Sajid got into a bit of a habit of posting odd cartoon pictures of himself

Wrong shape, boring graphic, Prime Minister

And then there’s the infamous collection that sparked the whole thing

Three of the six people in this post have been sacked or resigned since the pictures were taken

After

N’awww

Sajid working

Sajid rocking

Truss on skis

And we think this counts as playful

Also, here is a picture of disgraced former First Secretary of State Damian Green feeding chicken to a lion