The Government has admitted to paying influencers taxpayer money to flog the NHS Test and Trace to their followers, with some reports claiming Love Island stars have banked thousands for the honour.
Stars including Shaughna Phillips, Josh Denzel and Chris Hughes were seen to advertise the Government’s coronavirus tracking scheme – which informs you if you’ve been in contact with a person who has coronavirus – this month on social media.
Downing Street came under fire after the influencers plugged the scheme, describing it as ‘free, quick and vital to stop the spread’ – however the Government has been slammed as it failed to reach its 80% target for the ninth week in a row.
A spokesperson said the Government had a responsibility to ‘use every means possible’ to keep the public informed during the pandemic.
They said: ‘Our use of social media influencers has meant over seven million people have been reached. This is just one part of a wider campaign utilising TV, radio, social, print and other advertisements to ensure the public has the information it needs.’
Over the weekend Sunday Mirror reported Love Island stars Shaughna, Chris and Josh were among those paid by the Cabinet Office to advertise Covid-19 testing to their followers.
Shaughna’s post, which is still on her Instagram, sees her posing in an undated photo alongside a friend to her 1.5million followers.
She wrote: ‘A throwback to what I love most! Nights out and good friends! Although this may feel like a distant memory to us all, we can all do our part to make sure we can get back to better times, as safely as possible.’
On his own page, 2017 Love Island star Chris told his 2.1 million followers ‘getting tested for coronavirus is the best way for us all to get back to doing the things we love’, as he posed alongside mates.
He wrote, with the tags #letsgetback #gettested, and #ad: ‘We all play a crucial part in helping normalise this behaviour.
‘I was worried I might have mild symptoms so I tested to be sure. It was so, so simple!’
The publication cited a social media expert in its report, claiming the stars would usually command between £5,000 and £10,000 for an ad post.
It also claimed ‘dozens of influencers with much smaller followings get £150 to £200’ for posting, while also alleging influencers ‘were told to heap praise on the NHS but warned: “Don’t criticise the Government or its guidance.”’
In regards to alleged figures paid out to stars, the Government’s spokesperson added: ‘All costs involved in the campaign will be published as part of the regular transparency reports on gov.uk.’
While the stars’ posts clearly state they’re ads, celebrities could face an investigation by the Advertising Standards Agency if their uploads aren’t labelled as advertisements.
The Government’s spokesman indicated the Cabinet Office had been clear about labelling such content correctly and noted all three posts had ‘now’ been marked as ads.
Metro.co.uk contacted reps of Shaughna, Chris and Josh for comment.
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