Government departments have disclosed that they have spent at least £2.4m working with social media influencers since July 2024. Departments have used influencers to promote campaigns on topics including career development, how to access benefits, as well as recruitment of teachers and prison officers. Of those providing figures, the Department for Education (DfE) has spent the most at more than £700,000, followed by HMRC, which has spent nearly £600,000, although this excludes agency fees.
Departments said using influencers helped the government to reach people who may be harder to engage through traditional channels, with content creators paid fairly for their time and expertise. They also stressed that all paid marketing campaigns were assessed to ensure they deliver value for money. However, Conservative shadow Cabinet Office 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." The figures - which primarily cover the period when Sir Keir Starmer was prime minister - were revealed in responses to parliamentary questions submitted by the Conservatives and first reported by the Politics At Sam And Anne's podcast, external. Andy Burnham's plan to collaborate with social media creators Previous Conservative governments have also used influencers - who can include celebrities, podcasters, bloggers and social media creators - in campaigns. For example, under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Home Office paid TikTok influencers to encourage people not to cross the English Channel in small boats.
In 2025/26, the Department for Education paid 57 social media influencers, who worked on campaigns including supporting career progression for young people, providing parents with childcare advice and recruiting more teachers. The department said this included Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse and reality TV star Billie Shepherd, who both backed the government's Best Start in Life childcare campaign. The department said spending covered fees paid to individuals and agencies, as well as production costs.
HMRC has worked with 44 different influencers, with some taking part in multiple campaigns. In response to parliamentary questions, ministers said the tax agency used influencers to help reach the public with accessible information through "authentic and trusted voices", countering misleading tax guidance on social media. Meanwhile, the Department for Work and Pensions, which has spent more than £200,000 on influencers since July 2024, said content included helping people switch to Universal Credit and sharing advice on how to access career support.
While the figures cover Labour's time in office under Sir Keir Starmer, his successor Andy Burnham has continued to use influencers to get the government's message out. On his first day as prime minister, Burnham was already posting videos on TikTok of him running with Sir Mo Farah and appearing on influencer Max Klymenko's "career ladder" podcast. Prof Andrew Chadwick, an expert in political communication at Loughborough University, said working with influencers "chimes with the change of direction since Burnham took over", with the PM using his following on TikTok and Instagram to engage directly with the public.
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