Former leader of the United Kingdom's Labour Party, and current energy secretary, Ed Miliband, most famous for an unfortunate photograph involving him and a bacon sandwich, has been branded a hypocrite for hiring a “vanity photographer” – using taxpayers' money.
When serving as leader of the opposition 2010, Miliband condemned then-Prime Minister David Cameron for hiring a ‘personal photographer’ at a time when the UK government was asking the public to "tighten their belts".
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), headed by Miliband, is advertising for a photographer to take images that "grab headlines and stand out on social media," with a starting salary of £41,355 (around $50,000 / AU$82,000) and an extra £5,050 ($6,200 / AU$9,970) "communication allowance."
Despite being branded a “vanity photographer” by critics, including the satirical current affairs news quiz Have I Got News For You, DESNZ is recruiting for a role to cover the whole of its work, not just as a personal photographer for Miliband.
The job advertisement states the department is looking for a “skilled photographer” to make a “real difference” and work at the forefront of policy-making decisions. The part-time position also replaces the previous full-time position, saving on salary costs.
However, shadow paymaster general Richard Holden criticized the appointment, claiming that Miliband only wants to improve his public image with staged photographs.
“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.”
The job listing adds that 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.
“We’re seeking someone with a sharp eye for composition and news sense to create images that grab headlines and stand out on social media.”
Miliband’s previous criticism of Cameron focused around his appointment of Andrew Parsons in a civil service role, having previously been the then Tory leader's personal photographer.
Cameron reneged on the appointment, but the photographer then became a special advisor in No 10 under Boris Johnson.
A DESNZ spokesperson said: "This is not a personal photographer for Ed Miliband. The department inherited a full-time photographer from the business department in 2023.”
Adding: "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."
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