The UK government is facing sharp criticism after it was revealed that a redesign of its official website cost taxpayers approximately £532,000 (over $700,000), despite the changes appearing to be largely cosmetic.

The redesign, handled by global advertising agency M&C Saatchi, involved turning the website’s black header blue and slightly adjusting the ‘gov.uk’ logo by moving the dot upward and changing its color to turquoise.

Critics have called the project an outrageous misuse of public funds. Zia Yusuf, head of Reform UK’s new efficiency unit, blasted the spending as “a joke at the taxpayer’s expense,” adding:

“The disrespect for taxpayers’ money continues to be astounding. Spending more than £500,000 on changing a logo on a government website is a joke at the taxpayer’s expense, quite literally.”

He suggested the move was symptomatic of widespread inefficiency, saying it reflected “the kind of thing we have been uncovering in county halls on a daily basis.”

In its defense, the government claimed the redesign was part of a broader “brand refresh” initiative across institutional websites. A spokesperson emphasized that much of the spending was authorized under the previous administration, stating:

“This was committed to by the previous government, with two of the three contracts signed and delivered by July 2024.”

The current administration, the spokesperson added, simply chose to use the design work to develop new digital services such as the upcoming gov.uk app and gov.uk Chat, though no specifics were offered on those tools or their timelines.

Despite the explanation, public and political backlash continues to grow, with many questioning the value and timing of the project amid economic pressures and calls for fiscal restraint.