After the Government unveiled a new briefing room at a cost of £2.6million, a home and business solutions specialist has recreated the exact same room for less than 1% of the cost.
Using chairs for £26 and a plinth for £30, BiGDUG has designed their version of the room for under £2,600.
Images published by ITV News on Monday show the room in No 9 Downing Street has been kitted out with cameras and rows of chairs for journalists.
Union flags flank a lectern from where the Prime Minister’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, will field reporters’ questions and act as the face of the Government.
Labour said “we were expecting something a bit more impressive” given the sums spent on the long-delayed project, as revealed by the PA new agency.
The Foreign Secretary has defended the Government spending more than £2.6 million on creating a White House-style media briefing room in Downing Street after pictures of the refurbishment surfaced this week.
Dominic Raab told BBC Breakfast: “It is not something I’m responsible for but I do think that making sure we communicate with the public is very important.
“We saw that in the press conferences that the Prime Minister and other senior ministers, myself included, had (during the coronavirus pandemic).
“Making sure we communicate directly with the public is something I think they welcome and making sure we can do it in an effective, coherent way is very important.”
From chairs priced at just £26 each to a £30 plinth, BiGDUG’s version totals £2,013:
- £1,020 - 40 x Groove Stacking Conference Chairs
- £479 - Blue Backdrop / Concertina Room Dividers)
- £317 - Blue Anti-Slip Flooring
- £119 - Flag poles / Belt Barriers
- £48 - 4 x Union Jack Flags ( AMAZON)
- £30 - Plinth / Stand Up Pop-Up desk
- Total cost: £2,013
Twitter users criticised Downing Street’s new design for using taxpayer’s money, with one likening it to a can of Irn-Bru. Another demonstrated how to “get the look” for a fraction of the cost.
Polly Maclennan, Public Relations Manager, at BiGDUG said: “People on social media have been quick to joke about the images released by the government of the new media briefing room and why it cost so much.
“Considering we have put together an equally impressive collection of chairs, staging and flooring, we know it’s possible to do for a fraction of the cost!”
