The office of the Prime Minister has spent £391 million of taxpayer money on public relations campaigns designed to try and improve his standing in the eyes of voters.

The figures were revealed in the annual report of the Central Office of Information, which sends out the Government’s message from each Whitehall department. The increase over the previous year was 16 percent.

In total, spending on advertising and marketing has trebled during Labour’s decade in power from just £11million in 1997-98.

The Government attracted controversy earlier this year when the Home Office paid £150,000 for a string of advertisements in national newspapers promoting its record on law and order in the run up to the local elections. Critics said it breached rules on ministerial announcements ahead of polling day.

The number of Government press officers has trebled since Labour took office, rising to 3,252 last year. An analysis of the Whitehall communications machine found that the Ministry of Defence has 229 press staff, the Department for Work and Pensions 180, the Department of Health 102 and the Home Office 157.

Brown faced accusations he was abusing taxpayers’ money when it emerged in April that he was appointing new spin doctors and aides at a rate of one a fortnight. Critics claimed the splurge on advisers to boost the Prime Minister’s flagging popularity would cost an extra £350,000 a year.