Coronavirus: Government paid Love Island stars and influencers to promote struggling Test and Trace system

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government paid social media influencers and reality TV starts to promote the NHS Test and Trace system, which failed to reach its 80 per cent target for the ninth week in a row. This is just one part of a wider campaign utilising TV, radio, social, print and other Love Island stars Shaughna Phillips, Chris Hughes and Josh Denzel were among those paid by the Cabinet Office to tell their online followers testing for Covid-19 was “free, quick and vital to stop the spread”, the Sunday Mirror reported. The government spokesperson said: “All costs involved in the campaign will be published as part of the regular transparency reports on gov.uk.” The celebrities could also face an investigation by the Advertising Standards Agency after not initially labelling their posts as The government’s spokesperson indicated the Cabinet Office had been clear about labelling such content correctly and noted all three posts had “now” been marked as ads. It comes after recent data showed three-quarters of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 were reached through the Test and Trace system, once again falling short of the government’s target.