𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Taxpayers will be “gobsmacked” at Government spending on “influencers” and social media content creators, Labour has been warned. Three Whitehall departments have together spent more than £1million as the Government seeks to harness social media to influence Britons’ lives.

The Department for Education revealed it had spent £589,671 on “influencer marketing” in the 2025 to 2026 period. The Department for Transport said £302,874 had been spent since July 2024. The Ministry of Justice said it had spent £206,140 since July 2024.

William Yarwood of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers will be gobsmacked that Government departments are splashing more than a million pounds on influencers and content creators. Ministers can dress this up as ‘modern communications’, but much of it looks like taxpayer-funded PR for Whitehall. Departments should stop splashing cash on social media personalities”.

A Department for Transport spokesperson defended the spending, saying: “The majority of this spend was for our road safety campaign, THINK!, with the use of influencers vital in getting life-saving messages to the target audience – particularly men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than other drivers.”

The department worked with creators ArthurTV and Chip in a push to stop drink driving at Christmas. It has also worked with LADBible to combat speeding.

A LADBible video features a young man having to drive a pink children’s truck to pick up a takeaway because he has lost his licence due to speeding.

Shadow cabinet minister Mike Wood said: “The Government is spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on influencers in a feeble attempt to cover for its failures. It is becoming increasingly clear that if Labour want praise, they must pay for it.

“Only the Conservatives will restore serious government that delivers results, not social media spin.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Influencer marketing allows us to reach audiences where they are, in a much more cost-effective way than traditional marketing techniques. Every penny is focused on making a tangible difference to people’s lives, whether it’s campaigns to recruit the teachers and early years professionals our education system badly needs or making sure that parents know about the childcare and cost of living support available to them.”

Justice minister Jake Richards said: “The Government has a duty to engage with the public where they are, using channels and voices they trust to ensure all citizens can access government services, information and support – meeting audiences where they are.”