Labour Party (UK)

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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 newspaper advertisements on police during the local elections “purdah” period, mirroring the Labour Party’s own campaigning."[1]

The report said there had also been an historic trend of COI advertising strangely rising just before an expected general election.[2]

Resources

Notes

  1. Government Communication report with evidence published 26-January-2009 House of Lords: Select Committee on Communication, Accessed 26-January-2009
  2. Government Communication report with evidence published 26-January-2009 House of Lords: Select Committee on Communication, Accessed 26-January-2009