ED Miliband’s department is hiring a taxpayer-funded “vanity photographer” on a package worth around £50,000 a year.
The Energy Secretary’s department is recruiting a part-time photographer to cover ministerial visits and shoot official portraits.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero 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 £5050 communications allowance.
Ex-Labour leader Miliband has been heavily criticised by the Conservatives for hiring a "vanity photographer" and branded an “uber-hypocrite” given he hit out at David Cameron in 2010 for having a personal photographer.
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 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.
“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”, the advert says. “You’ll join a busy and diverse communications team, collaborating with video experts and graphic designers. No two days are alike: one week, you 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.”
The photographer chosen will be expected to “build and maintain an image library showcasing departmental policy areas” and “collaborate with communications and ministerial teams to plan creative content”.
Miliband’s criticism of Cameron focused on his appointment of Andrew Parsons in a Civil Service role, having previously been the then-Tory leader’s personal photographer.
Cameron U-turned on the appointment, but the photographer subsequently became a special adviser 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.
"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."
