The government spent more than £225,000 on newspaper ads selling the benefits of Universal Credit.
In May, the Department for Work and Pensions – headed up by Amber Rudd – launched a nine-week “myth-busting” campaign in the Metro vowing to “uncover the truth” about the government’s controversial benefits scheme.
It emerged on Wednesday that, in total, ministers had spent £225,458 on the advert.
In a letter to the House of Commons library, Work and Pensions Minister Will Quince said the money had been spent on the campaign – which appeared in print and online – as well as an online “hub” where claimants could find out more about Universal Credit. 📰 Pick up a copy of the @MetroUK this morning and you’ll find a feature setting out the facts about #UniversalCreditFind out more: https://t.co/gjC5F7znnm#MythBusting 👇 pic.twitter.com/eon5bHAMF4— DWP (@DWP) May 22, 2019Independent MP Frank Field – who is chair of parliament’s Work and Pension’s Committee – said: “DWP has spent almost a quarter of a million pounds on advertising when it couldn’t tell people whether they’d be better or worse off on UC.
“Why doesn’t the department concentrate on trying to get UC right, without dissembling about the wonders of Universal Credit? If it was so wonderful, you wouldn’t have to advertise it.”
It follows widespread criticism of the ads during their publication, with the first coinciding with a damning report from the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty in which he condemned the government’s welfare policies as a “sanitised” version of Victorian-era workhouses.
“Much of the glue that has held
British society together since the Second World War has been deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos,” Philip Alston said.
Some readers accused ministers of burning taxpayers’ money on “laughable propaganda”, while other critics encouraged people to dump copies of the Metro newspaper featuring the ads. The Department for Work and Pensions have seen fit to burn our money on a laughable (if it wasn't impoverishing people) propaganda splash for Universal Credit on the front and back pages of the Metro this morning.Sanctions-denying, statistic-mangling misleading pish. For shame.— Scott Macdonald (@scott_eff) May 22, 2019Well, they didn't go for the full front page wraparound as rumoured, but the DWP went ahead with their Metro #UniversalCredit propaganda. I hope people carry pens and add their own comments in the margin. pic.twitter.com/352qfFyG4S— David N (@__David_N_) May 22, 2019I picked up a stack of Tory DWP Metro propaganda this morning. I will return it to where I found it once I have finished editing! pic.twitter.com/DBNutOQyLr— Mark Adkins (@MarkMyWordsJCPM) May 22, 2019The government defended the adverts, saying it was “important” for people to know about the benefits available to them.
“We regularly advertise Universal Credit and we work closely with stakeholders to help them best advise claimants,” they said.
“All our advertising abides by the strict guidelines set by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).”
However, it emerged in July that the ASA had launched a formal investigation into whether the ads carried misleading claims about Universal Credit.
Watchdog chiefs are also considering whether the adverts – which were written in a pseudo “news report” style – were obviously identifiable as marketing, or whether they potentially deceived readers.
The probe followed an official complaint from the Disability Benefits Consortium – a coalition of more than 80 disability charities – who described the adverts as “embarrassing”, saying the government should have used the money to help claimants.
A DWP spokesperson said: “Universal Credit has rolled out to more than two million people so far and these numbers are continuing to grow. It is absolutely vital people know about the benefits available to them and to this end it is right and responsible that we regularly advertise Universal Credit.”Related... DWP Slammed For ‘News Report’ Ads Selling Benefits Of Universal Credit Ad Watchdog Investigating DWP Universal Credit 'News Report' Disability Charities Lodge Complaint Over DWP's 'Myth-Busting' Universal Credit Ads