When an online forum for new parents was founded in March 2000, few could have imagined the influence it would come to have. Yet the Mumsnet co-founders, Justine Roberts and Carrie Longton, are now two of the most powerful women in the UK. And a grilling by the site’s members – or Roberts herself – can make or break politicians.
The 2010 general election was nicknamed the “Mumsnet election”, with both the sitting prime minister, Gordon Brown, and the Tory leader, David Cameron, taking live questions from users. And few can forget the opening question of CEO Roberts’ 2022 interview with the then prime minister Boris Johnson: “Why should we believe anything you say when it has been proven that you’re a habitual liar?” She could have been speaking for a nation.
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