The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) paid roughly £175,000 to 16 social media influencers over the past two years to distribute “clean energy” content on TikTok and Instagram, according to figures released under freedom of information (FOI) law, prompting Conservative accusations that the government is using paid creator content to sell an unpopular policy agenda.
The spending broke down to £39,000 across 2024/25 and £135,000 in the most recent financial year, using 12 influencers in the latter period, according to Energy Voice’s reporting on the FOI disclosure. The Scottish Conservatives said the payments related specifically to Labour’s clean energy campaign, which targets zero-carbon electricity by 2030 and an eventual end to oil and gas use.
Conservative Shadow Energy Minister Harriet Cross criticized the spending against a backdrop of rising household energy costs. “Across the country, people will rightly be wondering if spending £170,000 on 16 social media influencers to push out Labour’s net zero agenda is the best use of taxpayers’ money,” she said. “While households are worried about the cost of living and the upcoming rise in energy bills, for the government to choose to spend money not to help, but to peddle net zero shows just how much an obsession this has become for them.”
Cross went further, framing the spending as an attempt to obscure the cost of the transition rather than explain it. “The use of so many influencers highlights how desperate Labour are to trick people into thinking they are solving climate change when in fact, they are making the problem worse by making electricity so expensive, barely anyone can afford to adopt clean technologies,” she said. She linked the criticism to broader Conservative energy policy, pointing to the government’s reliance on imported solar panels and its approach to the North Sea oil and gas sector as evidence that the messaging does not match the underlying economics.
Cross paired the criticism with the Conservatives’ own alternative, a package that includes resuming North Sea drilling alongside cutting VAT on energy bills, scrapping the carbon tax, and ending wind subsidies, which she said would save households £200 immediately.
A Labour Party spokesperson defended the spending as consumer guidance rather than political messaging. “It’s bizarre that the Tories would complain about giving people advice about how to save money,” the spokesperson said. “Labour is the only party with a plan to bring down bills for good, and we won’t apologise for telling people about it.”
The criticism lands two months after Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh’s own visit to the Port of Aberdeen, where she did not meet with local media; footage of the trip was instead posted to LinkedIn.
The spending surfaces at a moment when influencer disclosure compliance in the UK is already under regulatory pressure. Advertising Standards Authority monitoring found 43% of UK influencer content fails to meet disclosure requirements, with 34% carrying no disclosure at all, and the Competition and Markets Authority can now fine brands up to 10% of global annual turnover for non-compliant campaigns.
Under ASA guidance, gifted access and direct payment both trigger disclosure obligations, and terms like “gifted,” “in partnership with,” and “spon” do not satisfy them; clear labels such as “#ad” or “Ad” should be prominently displayed upfront. Liability for compliance runs through the whole chain, applying to the paying party and any agency involved in managing the creator relationship, not the creator alone. Whether the DESNZ-funded posts carried that labeling has not been reported.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) paid roughly £175,000 to 16 social media influencers over the past two years to distribute “clean energy” content on TikTok and Instagram, according to figures released under freedom of information (FOI) law, prompting Conservative accusations that the government is using paid creator content to sell an unpopular policy agenda.
The spending broke down to £39,000 across 2024/25 and £135,000 in the most recent financial year, using 12 influencers in the latter period, according to Energy Voice’s reporting on the FOI disclosure. The Scottish Conservatives said the payments related specifically to Labour’s clean energy campaign, which targets zero-carbon electricity by 2030 and an eventual end to oil and gas use.
Conservative Shadow Energy Minister Harriet Cross criticized the spending against a backdrop of rising household energy costs. “Across the country, people will rightly be wondering if spending £170,000 on 16 social media influencers to push out Labour’s net zero agenda is the best use of taxpayers’ money,” she said. “While households are worried about the cost of living and the upcoming rise in energy bills, for the government to choose to spend money not to help, but to peddle net zero shows just how much an obsession this has become for them.”
Cross went further, framing the spending as an attempt to obscure the cost of the transition rather than explain it. “The use of so many influencers highlights how desperate Labour are to trick people into thinking they are solving climate change when in fact, they are making the problem worse by making electricity so expensive, barely anyone can afford to adopt clean technologies,” she said. She linked the criticism to broader Conservative energy policy, pointing to the government’s reliance on imported solar panels and its approach to the North Sea oil and gas sector as evidence that the messaging does not match the underlying economics.
Cross paired the criticism with the Conservatives’ own alternative, a package that includes resuming North Sea drilling alongside cutting VAT on energy bills, scrapping the carbon tax, and ending wind subsidies, which she said would save households £200 immediately.
A Labour Party spokesperson defended the spending as consumer guidance rather than political messaging. “It’s bizarre that the Tories would complain about giving people advice about how to save money,” the spokesperson said. “Labour is the only party with a plan to bring down bills for good, and we won’t apologise for telling people about it.”
The criticism lands two months after Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh’s own visit to the Port of Aberdeen, where she did not meet with local media; footage of the trip was instead posted to LinkedIn.
The spending surfaces at a moment when influencer disclosure compliance in the UK is already under regulatory pressure. Advertising Standards Authority monitoring found 43% of UK influencer content fails to meet disclosure requirements, with 34% carrying no disclosure at all, and the Competition and Markets Authority can now fine brands up to 10% of global annual turnover for non-compliant campaigns.
Under ASA guidance, gifted access and direct payment both trigger disclosure obligations, and terms like “gifted,” “in partnership with,” and “spon” do not satisfy them; clear labels such as “#ad” or “Ad” should be prominently displayed upfront. Liability for compliance runs through the whole chain, applying to the paying party and any agency involved in managing the creator relationship, not the creator alone. Whether the DESNZ-funded posts carried that labeling has not been reported.
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