By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2025-01-10 06:12:15 | Updated at 2025-01-10 11:17:08
5 hours ago
Rachel Reeves spent thousands of pounds on media training for ministers at the same time as hiking taxes for millions and removing Winter Fuel Payments from pensioners.
Four departments - the Treasury, the Department for Health, the Foreign Office and the Scotland Office - spent more than £18,000 in the six months since the election on media or voice training.
A further 13 departments did not make any spending. The figures were uncovered by a series of questions in Parliament submitted by Conservative MP John Cooper.
The spending on media training came as the Government took decisions to remove the Winter Fuel Allowance from millions of pensioners and hiked taxes in the Budget last October.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it had spent £1,848 "on media or voice training for junior Ministers".
The Department of Health and Social Care said it had spent "a total of £840 including VAT on media training for ministers" since the election.
Cooper told GB News: "What sticks in the craw is not the amount that's been spent here.
"Arguably, it's relatively small, but at a time when money is tight and households are having to trim back on their budgets, it seems quite remarkable that the Treasury of all people should be spending money like this."
He added: "Everyone is asked to pull the horns in and money is so very, very tight - this does seem strange.
"There's a little bit of hypocrisy here. The now Chief Secretary of the Treasury, Darren Jones, when he was in Opposition, was very, very critical of us. That's fine... But you can't have it both ways."
Treasury Minister James Murray said his department had spent "£9,700 on media training for members of the Ministerial team", which comprises seven ministers
PA
A UK Government spokesman told GB News: "It is perfectly routine for ministers to receive media training, and this has occurred extensively under previous administrations."
A Labour source pointed out that the former Tory Government also spent tens of thousands of pounds on media training.
The source said: "Tory MP John Cooper who is complaining about this spending is the same John Cooper who worked as an adviser in the last Government when it spent vast sums on media training, including handing a £110,000 contract to Rishi Sunak’s TV debate coach."
