Transforming Politics: Steff Aquarone’s Case for a Digitally-Driven State
At MadFest London, the Liberal Democrat MP argued that Westminster must overhaul its analogue structures and adopt citizen-centric, data-informed strategies or risk irrelevance.
Introduction: A System in Stasis
Despite decades of digital transformation across almost every sector, British politics remains largely untouched by the forces that have reshaped commerce, media and civic life. Steff Aquarone, recently elected Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk and former digital transformation consultant, delivered a pointed analysis at MadFest London: Westminster is structurally resistant to change and politically paralysed by a lack of leadership, vision and citizen engagement.
His central claim is simple: politics operates in a legacy architecture that no longer serves the public interest. Functional silos, outdated hierarchies and analogue processes persist not due to lack of talent or technology, but because the system faces no existential pressure to modernise. As Aquarone put it, “Politics hasn’t faced its existential threat yet. That’s why it hasn’t changed.”
From Marketing to Parliament
Aquarone’s perspective is shaped by his own transition from the digital economy to frontline politics. Having worked in digital marketing and organisational transformation, his campaign drew on lessons from audience engagement, user experience design, and iterative improvement. These methods, he argues, are largely absent from Westminster, where performance metrics are vague and citizen outcomes are rarely measured with rigour.
His own electoral success securing over a majority of over 2,500 votes in a previous Conservative seat was driven by authenticity, digital outreach and direct engagement with local concerns. But once inside Parliament, he found himself facing a system that still behaves as though the internet had never happened.
Steff Aquarone- Liberal Democrat MP
"There are brilliant, motivated people throughout the civil service but the structures they work within are built for the 1980s."
Steff Aquarone- MP
Siloed by Design
Central to Aquarone’s critique is the way government departments are structured: by function, not by user need. The Department for Transport, Department for Education and others operate in isolation, with little consideration for the interconnected lives of the citizens they serve.
This functional segmentation leads to inefficiency and alienation. Citizens must navigate complex bureaucratic pathways, often without support, to access services. Aquarone's own parliamentary casework he has handled more than 6,000 individual requests illustrates how frequently the system fails those without digital fluency or advocacy skills.
"We need departments for citizen wellbeing, not organisational convenience."
Steff Aquarone- MP
Rewiring the State Around the User
The alternative, he argues, is a wholesale redesign of government around citizen journeys, much like modern businesses have reorganised around customer experience. Digital platforms, data, and machine learning offer tools to anticipate needs, personalise services and improve outcomes. But without political will, these capabilities remain underutilised.
Yet digital capacity must be matched by trust. In an age of data scandals and political polarisation, citizens are rightly cautious about sharing information. Aquarone proposes incremental delivery of value starting with non-sensitive services like local transport updates to earn public confidence.
AI can help target interventions, diagnose needs and improve public services—even without the citizen needing to use a digital device."
Steff Aquarone- MP
Attention Is the New Political Capital
Aquarone sees clear parallels between modern marketing and political engagement. Where once parties focused on broadcast media and leafleting, “the air war” and “the ground war”, today’s battle is for attention. In a fragmented media landscape, long-form video content, amplified through short-form channels, can create depth, credibility and momentum.
He points to the rise of populist movements which, regardless of political stance, have successfully captured attention by understanding the mechanics of modern media and applying them ruthlessly. The lesson for mainstream parties, he says, is not to imitate the content, but to match the agility.
"Politics is a market for attention. If you’re not in the conversation, you don’t exist."
Steff Aquarone- MP
Bridging the Talent Gap: A “Teach First” for Politics
One of the most pressing challenges is talent. Many in Westminster, he observed, have spent their entire careers within the political ecosystem, entering via internships or party work and never working with external industries.
Aquarone advocates for a cross-sector exchange programme, allowing professionals from advertising, digital and data science to bring fresh thinking into government modelled on the “Teach First” programme in education.
He has begun piloting this idea within his own office, seeking secondments for staff to gain outside experience and bring new perspectives back into the political process.
"Too many in politics have never worked outside of it. We need new blood, new voices and new skills."
Steff Aquarone- MP
Culture, Capital and the Accounting of Change
Beyond structures and strategy, Aquarone stressed the importance of culture. He noted that civil servants, MPs, and advisors alike, often seem disempowered not by official restrictions but by assumptions about what is allowed. Westminster’s lack of a written constitution, paradoxically, means innovation is often possible—but too rarely attempted.
Budgeting is another constraint. Government accounting, governed by the Treasury’s Green Book, tends to inhibit innovation. Rather than lack of funds, the real problem is how ROI is measured.
In this respect, Aquarone likened the Treasury to corporate finance departments reluctant to invest in long-term transformation.
"It's not the absence of money. It's how the system defines value and what it refuses to fund."
Steff Aquarone- MP
Community in the Digital Age
Aquarone is clear that his vision is not about abandoning traditional political values. The Liberal Democrats’ strength in local engagement village halls, doorstep conversations, grassroots campaigning is a model he admires. But the future requires scaling these conversations into the digital realm, building “participatory, candid dialogue” with online communities, “We're good at village halls. Now we must build the digital equivalents." said Steff Aquarone.
Doing so, he believes, will help restore trust, attract new talent, and equip politics for the realities of the 21st century.
