Cabinet office tops Whitehall influencer spending, as Government exceeds £2m on payments to social media personalities
In response, the Tories told LBC that ministers should be "delivering results, not funding social media campaigns"
The Government has spent over £2.1 million on influencers, content creators and social media personalities since coming to power, LBC has learned.
Listen to this article
Whitehall figures obtained by LBC show both the Cabinet Office and Department for Education ploughed more than £700,000 each on influencers over the past three financial years.
The true figure is likely to be higher, with spending by several departments, including the Prime Minister's Office, refusing to disclose their total.
The Conservatives argue that ministers should be "delivering results, not funding social media campaigns."
Read more: Al Carns backs Andy Burnham for PM, paving Makerfield MP's path to Downing Street
The cost of living is the number one issue families are facing at the moment.
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) May 5, 2026
That's why we're going all out for cheap, clean, homegrown power that we control, to bring down energy bills for good. pic.twitter.com/ugLhXnvNJe
The Cabinet Office commissioned influencers to promote campaigns including free school breakfast clubs, the National Living Wage and the Warm Homes Plan.
Ministers have refused to reveal the full list of creators involved, although TikTok influencers CleanWithBea (3 million followers) and abitofme123 (117,000 followers) featured in the Warm Homes campaign.
However, former Labour speechwriter Simon Lancaster told LBC the Government has secured a "bargain" when it comes to spending on influencers.
“If you want your policies to work, you need to ask who’s the best messenger for that message and what’s the best medium for that message," he said.
“If Ed Miliband is telling you to warm your home, it might not be as effective as an influencer who already has loads of people who love them, who don’t necessarily need to be cynical about what they’re saying.
“These influencers are like friends, people have a parasocial relationship with them.”
Lancaster, who runs Bespoke Speeches, said that when he worked under Sir Tony Blair, tens of millions of pounds were spent on television advertising.
“Government communication is at its worst when it’s formulaic and old school, so I’m sure the Cabinet Office are trailblazing on this. They will be seeing a great pound-for-pound investment.”
The Department for Education was among the biggest spenders, spending more than £700,000 on influencers over the past two financial years.
Among those commissioned was sustainable fashion influencer Angus Stubbs, who last month received an undisclosed fee to promote the government's Get Into Teaching campaign to his 358,000 Instagram followers.
Asked about the spending by LBC's Tom Swarbrick, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it represented “good value for money."
“This is just a shift in terms of how we spend our marketing budget... it’s right that we focus our efforts on where we’ll get the biggest impact.”
Other departments with significant influencer spending included the Department for Transport (£387,873.83), the Department for Work and Pensions (£204,925), and the Ministry of Defence (£123,173).
The figures have drawn criticism from the Conservatives.
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart said: "Labour is so unpopular that they have resorted to spending millions of hardworking taxpayers' money on influencers to sell policies that the public simply are not buying.
“The British public expect efficient public services and transparency, not a constant stream of Government-funded propaganda.
“At a time when families are being asked to tighten their belts, Ministers should be focused on delivering results, not funding social media campaigns."
Government departments that disclosed figures spent a combined £2,119,916.13 on influencers, content creators and social media personalities since the start of the 2024/25 financial year.
But the true figure is unknown, with several departments failing to provide figures.
The Ministry of Justice refused LBC's request, arguing disclosure was not in the public interest and could harm commercial confidentiality.
HM Treasury, the Attorney General's Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said they did not hold the information.
A government spokesperson said: “today’s media landscape is unrecognisable compared to even a decade ago, and the Government has a duty to engage with the public wherever they are.
“We are continuously reviewing our communications channels and spending to ensure best value for taxpayer money, investing only what is required to deliver essential public messages to all citizens.”