Tories hit out at ‘hypocrite’ Miliband as his department hires a photographer
As Labour leader, Ed Miliband criticised then-prime minister David Cameron for bringing his personal photographer into government.
Ed Miliband’s department is hiring a taxpayer-funded “vanity photographer”, leading to accusations of hypocrisy from the Tories.
The Energy Secretary’s department is recruiting a part-time photographer to cover ministerial visits and shoot official portraits, on a pay and pension package worth around £50,000 a year on a pro-rata basis.
But the Conservatives hit out at “uber-hypocrite” Mr Miliband, who as Labour leader criticised then-prime minister Lord David Cameron for having a personal photographer in 2010.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is recruiting for a role to cover the whole of its work, rather than as a personal photographer for Mr Miliband.
The part-time photographer replaces a full-time post, saving on salary costs.
But shadow paymaster general Richard Holden condemned Mr Miliband, claiming he wants the photographer to sharpen his public image.
“It wasn’t that long ago that Red Ed was attacking David Cameron for having an official photographer,” he said.
“Now, with photos of him and a bacon sandwich and the ‘Ed Stone’ seared in the public mind, you can see why uber-hypocrite Ed ‘two kitchens’ Miliband has hypocritically hired a taxpayer-funded vanity photographer to try and avoid such snaps in the future.”
Mr Miliband’s criticism of Lord Cameron focused on his appointment of Andrew Parsons in a Civil Service role, having previously been the then-Tory leader’s personal photographer.
Lord Cameron U-turned on the appointment, but the photographer subsequently became a special adviser in No 10 under Boris Johnson.
The DESNZ role advertises a full-time salary of £38,295 along with £11,094 towards a Civil Service pension, although the starting salary could be as high as £41,355 and includes a £5,050 communications allowance.
The job advert suggests photographers might “accompany a minister to a hydrogen facility, take official portraits at an international event, and refresh our stock imagery with photos from the offshore wind sector”.
A DESNZ spokesman said: “This is not a personal photographer for Ed Miliband. The department inherited a full-time photographer from the Business department in 2023.
“The person in that role has now left the department, so we are recruiting for a replacement who will cover all of the ministerial team and the department’s work, as well as providing photography for our events and campaigns.”
