UK Government Spends Over £500,000 on Social Media Influencers Since 2024
Since 2024, the UK government has spent more than £500,000 on paid social media influencers, engaging a total of 215 influencers—126 in 2025 and 89 in 2024. The Department for Education has been the largest spender, investing £350,000 on 53 influencers in 2025 and 26 in 2024.
Other government departments involved include the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In 2025, the DWP spent £120,023 on eight influencers, having employed none in 2024. The Department for Business and Trade spent £39,700 in 2025 on 17 influencers across both years. The Ministry of Justice used 12 influencers since 2024 to support recruitment efforts for prison officers, probation officers, and magistrates.
These figures were obtained through Freedom of Information requests by the research group Tangerine, although many departments declined to disclose information citing commercial reasons.
In addition, Downing Street is reforming lobby briefings by halving daily sessions, cutting the afternoon briefing, and replacing some morning sessions with press conferences open to specialist journalists and social media creators.
Supporters of using influencers argue that they help reach younger audiences and those who rarely engage with traditional media, while critics warn this approach risks reducing scrutiny of government policies. Examples include Simon Clark broadcasting a FaceTime call with Keir Starmer to 73,000 Instagram followers, Anna Whitehouse posting clips to 444,000 followers, and influencers Cameron Smith and Abi Foster attending the front row at Rachel Reeves’s press conference.
