Labour Party (UK)

Political communications

Central Office of Information spending on public relations, marketing and advertising in 2007-8 cost £391 million a year, more than three times the rate that Labour inherited.

COI Spending £

• 1997–98 £111 million
• 1998–99 £173 million
• 1999–00 £200 million
• 2000–01 £295 million
• 2001–02 £273 million
• 2002–03 £267 million
• 2003–04 £317 million
• 2004–05 £343 million
• 2005–06 £322 million
• 2006–07 £338 million
• 2007–08 £391 million

The first year of the Gordon Brown's term as Prime Minister coincided with a 16% rise in the cost of Government advertising, marketing and publicity. Government advertising attracted particular controversy in 2009, when the Home Office, according to a Select Committee on Communications report, "abused the marketing funds by funding newspapers [sic.] advertisements on police during the local elections “purdah” period, mirroring the Labour Party’s own campaigning."

The report said there had also been an historic trend of COI advertising strangely rising just before an expected general election.

Associated organisatons

Partner organisations

• The Co-operative Party
• Party of European Socialists
• Socialist International
• Trades Union Congress
• Young Labour

Thinks tanks and lobby groups

• Blue Labour | Campaign for Labour Party Democracy | Chartist | Compass | Demos | The Fabian Society | Grassroots Alliance | Independent Labour Publications (ILP) | Institute for Public Policy Research | Labour Co-ordinating Committee | Labour First | Labour Left Briefing | Labour Representation Committee | New Wave Labour | Progress | Save the Labour Party | Scottish Labour Party Campaign for Socialism | Socialist Appeal | Socialist Campaign Group | Tribune

Resources

• New Labour: Donors
• New Labour: Special Advisers