The Government’s annual spending on advertising rocketed by 70 per cent to a record £192.4m before the general election.Conservatives demanded an investigation by public finance watchdogs last night into what they called “a pre-election splurge” at the taxpayers’ expense, designed to boost Labour’s electoral prospects.The figures released yesterday show the Government was Britain’s second biggest advertiser in the financial year to March, just behind Unilever, which spent £197.9m, and ahead of Procter & Gamble on £132.7m. The data reflects a hike in government advertising in the first quarter of this year – when Tony Blair planned to call an election in May. Whitehall departments spent £62.8m, making the Government the country’s biggest advertising spender, well ahead of second-placed Unilever on £34.3m.In the year up to the 1997 election, the Tory government spent £69.3m. Under Mr Blair, the budget rose from £59m in his first year to £105.4m in year two and £113.4m in his third year. That has been dwarfed by the £192.4m spent last year.The departments with the biggest rises included Education and Employment (up from £20.4m to £36.9m); Health (up from £17.9m to £26.2m); the Inland Revenue (up from £15m to £21m) and Social Security (up from £8.1m to £20.9m).The Tories described several Whitehall campaigns as a waste of money, claiming a television blitz to tell pensioners of the minimum income guarantee cost £150 for each person receiving the benefit and that an anti-fraud campaign only served to encourage benefit fiddles.Another controversial campaign was one by the Department of Trade and Industry to publicise new rights for workers to take paid holiday leave. This cost £2.5m and some civil servants are believed to have been uneasy at the use of television commercials.Andrew Lansley, the Opposition spokesman on Cabinet Office issues, has written to Sir John Bourn, the Auditor General, asking him to investigate the campaigns.

He said the publicity should have been paid for by the Labour Party rather than taxpayers.Mr Lansley said: “Ministers clearly took decisions designed to create the impression of positive activity in order to disguise their failure to deliver and encourage the electorate to give them a second chance.”David Willetts, the Opposition spokesman on work and pensions, will ask the Commons Public Accounts Committee to investigate the increase in spending and will urge the Cabinet Office to bring in guidelines to prevent a repeat ahead of future elections.He said: “We need much greater controls and policing to stop such a re-election splurge in government advertising. People do need to know their rights but is it very suspicious why the Government wanted to do it just before the election.”A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “Advertising or other paid means of communication are only used when communication is an essential part of implementing policy or programmes. These are important public information campaigns, such as public-sector recruitment, anti drink-driving and raising awareness of how to tackle car-crime. There are strict rules to ensure they are in no way party political.”The Tories claim Britain is unusual in having the Government as one of its biggest advertisers. But Labour insists the trend was established by the Tories, noting that spending broke the £100m-a-year barrier under Margaret Thatcher, who ran campaigns to promote “enterprise culture” and schemes for the jobless.. Tony Blair was today greeted by dozens of angry farmers as he visited crisis torn Cumbria in a bid to help boost the region’s struggling tourist industry.

Tony Blair was today greeted by dozens of angry farmers as he visited crisis torn Cumbria in a bid to help boost the region’s struggling tourist industry.
The Prime Minister was jeered and heckled by farmers holding banners and by members of the tourist industry as he arrived to open the National Mountaineering Centre near Penrith.After a brief tour of Rheged, a Lakeland visitor centre, Mr Blair unveiled a painting of Scafell Crag to commemorate the centre’s official opening.As he did so, the Prime Minister acknowledged the difficulties local people were going through because of the outbreak of foot­and­mouth disease.He said: “I know things have been very, very difficult here but I think there are some signs of hope now. The fact is that people, when they come here, have a wonderful time.”There are so many things they can do here and as we begin to open things up more, I know more and more people will come.”Mr Blair said: “I think we are right in saying bookings are back to around 70 or 80% of normal and for the months of September and October, they are back to around 90%.”The absolutely essential thing is that farmers do take proper measures to prevent the disease spreading.”The message has got to be that tourism is well and can thrive, that people can come and do things they normally would.”For the tourist industry things are opening up again, even here in Cumbria.”What I want to say is that Britain is open for business as a tourist attraction.”Mr Blair then left the Rheged Centre and drove to take a boat trip on nearby Ullswater. On board the boat, Mr Blair took time to speak with holidaymakers visiting the rea.Nikita and Mano Lalwani told him they had come all the way from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to spend part of their summer holidays in the Lake District.Nikita, 32, said: “He just asked us where we were from and when we said we were from Dubai he said the last time he had been there was more than 20 years ago.”It is the first time we have made it to the Lake District and we are enjoying it very much,” she added.Her husband Mano, 35, said that it was one of the nicest holidays they and their son Nikhil, six, and daughter Riana, three, had had.He said: “We are here on our holidays and it is such a beautiful place.”Mr Blair then posed for holiday snaps with tourists before steering the “steamer” back to Pooley Bridge.Asked whether he regretted not taking his main summer holiday in the Lake District, Mr Blair said: “It would be a good idea wouldn’t it? It is a wonderful place. I’m sure I will another time.”Instead, Mr Blair and his family are spending their summer vacation near the Mexican resort of Cancun, before spending some time in France and south­west England.. Two police officers were arrested yesterday in connection with allegations that they helped to plan and took part in a burglary in which a woman was assaulted and had CS sprayed into her face.