Skip to content
openDemocracy
Subscribe

Revealed: MPs claim £1m on expenses for private spin doctors

PR firms are raking in taxpayer cash, as Westminster regulator admits it doesn’t check if rules are followed

By Martin Williams and Andrew Kersley
Revealed: MPs claim £1m on expenses for private spin doctors
140 MPs used taxpayers’ cash to outsource PR work. | Olavs silis / Craig McAteer / Alamy Stock Photo. Composite by openDemocracy
Published:
Share

MPs have claimed more than £1m on expenses for private spin doctors and PR agencies, openDemocracy can reveal.

Lucrative contracts have been swept up by a band of little-known media firms in Westminster, some making almost all of their income from MPs’ expenses.

They include companies that enjoy close personal ties to MPs themselves, with lax rules allowing contracts to be awarded without competitive tender.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0