The Telegraph, Tim Walker, 19/5/2008

Gordon Brown promised an end to spin when he took over from Tony Blair, but he is still merrily recruiting press officers to get the message out that the "Government is delivering".

The Cabinet Office, currently looking for a chief press officer (up to £53,762 plus final salary pension) and two press officers (up to £35,661 plus final salary pension) seems at least to accept that the tide of public opinion is turning against the Government.

Among the attributes the advertisement (in The Guardian, inevitably) says that they are looking for in candidates is "resilience".

The annual wage bill for the PM's spin doctors is estimated to have risen by more than £350,000 to £1.75 million – roughly the same as when Blair was at No 10.