From Better Together to Trump Singles: how dating apps are getting political

Remainers have lost that loving feeling. Post-Brexit, they’re stockpiling croissants before prices go up and applying for Irish passports. But 48 per cent of us agreed with them — and what’s better for connecting people than a common interest? It’s time to find solace in your fellow grief-stricken Europhiles.

Better Together Dating is a dating app created to unite those heartbroken by the result, so you might just find a Chris Martin-type hoping to Fix EU or an Adele looking to find Someone Like EU.

Your profile shows your favourite EU city, which countries you have visited and what languages you speak. And once you’ve matched, surely the first date is obvious — a pro-Remain march followed by some tapas/mezze/goulash (whichever Euro food of love your date prefers).

Launched by tech start-up M14, it’s available on Android and online, with an iOS version in the pipeline. It might only be a week old but it already has hundreds of users (presumably logging on through a mist of tears while listening to Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares to EU). Founder John Kershaw says: “I don’t know if people only want to date people who think the same as them but I know it’s true that people don’t want to date people with strongly opposing views. Brexit is a good example — I know people who are not speaking to their parents and are losing friends over it. If you go on a date you don’t want that to be a thing which could potentially crop up and cause a massive argument.”

Kershaw and M14 are also behind a dating app for beard-lovers, Bristlr, so what is sexier — having facial hair or remaining? “Oh, don’t make me choose,” Kershaw adds. “The beard is less of a deal-breaker. If you had someone with a beard who wanted to vote Leave, that’s probably a no. But someone who wanted to back Remain but didn’t have a beard, that’s maybe OK. But it depends on the quality of the beard and the conviction of the politics.”

Kershaw reckons a rival Brexit-backing dating app is “inevitable” and the Americans are a step ahead there: TrumpSingles.com is already up and running.

For Trump supporters fed up with being shunned after revealing their political affiliations, the picture on the home page of the site would suggest you’re guaranteed to match with an all-American, definitely white and heterosexual young thing who loves walking on private beaches, scrutinising people’s passports and building walls. What better way to flirt than by also flirting with the idea of taking back the US?

Presumably the pillow talk over at BernieSingles.com has fallen slightly flat since Sanders conceded but I’m sure that those who signed up to the site “where Progressives meet” are consoling themselves by ripping off their Feel the Bern T-shirts and getting into bed with the communists.

Pinning your politics to your sleeve along with your heart is definitely putting yourself out there — but it beats holding up an “I Will Always Love EU” banner and hoping for the best.

Follow Rachael Sigee on Twitter: @littlewondering