A PR firm that masterminded two widely criticised Tory election campaign stunts has been handed a £3m contract by the government without a competitive tender, according to reports.
Topham Guerin, which specialise in producing images and videos for social media, was given the deal to work on coronavirus public health messaging shortly before the UK lockdown began in March, an investigation by The Guardian and openDemocracy has revealed.
”Under emergency Covid-19 regulations that allow the government to ditch usual competitive tendering practices, no tender was conducted to allow other companies to bid for that work,” the newspaper reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Founded in 2016 by young New Zealanders Sean Topham and Ben Guerin, Topham Guerin was at the centre of a political row last year after rebranding the Conservative Party’s official Twitter account as “factcheckUK” during a televised leaders’ debate, and setting up a website presented as Labour’s manifesto.
A six-month contract for the PR firm’s current work for the government was formalised on 7 May, with a retrospective 17 March start date.
The £3m deal requires members of the company “to attend daily meetings at Downing Street or the Cabinet Office and lead the branding strategy and produce social media content”, the London Economic reports.
“And while the current contract runs until 16 September, it is understood that the Cabinet Office is already negotiating with them to send more work their way,” the news site adds.
Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves has criticised the decision to award the contract without a tender. “Given the huge importance of communications during a deadly pandemic, work of this magnitude must surely be undertaken by long-standing, proven expertise in public health communications,” she said.
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
The new age of book banningThe Explainer How America’s culture wars collided with parents and legislators who want to keep their kids away from ‘dangerous’ ideas
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
Five policies from the Tory conferenceIn Depth Party leader Kemi Badenoch has laid out the Conservative plan for a potential future government
-
Behind the ‘Boriswave’: Farage plans to scrap indefinite leave to remainThe Explainer The problem of the post-Brexit immigration surge – and Reform’s radical solution
-
Charlie Kirk honored as ‘martyr’ at memorial rallySpeed Read At a service for the slain conservative activist, speakers included President Donald Trump and many top administration officials
-
Can the Lib Dems be a party of government again?Today's Big Question Leader Ed Davey is urged to drop the stunts and present a serious plan for the country
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
