Britain’s embattled statistics authority spent £400,000 in taxpayer cash on branded notepads. It’s the hottest merch in town…Shadow Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart asked what branded items the ONS had spent money on, chief executive Darren Tierney responded:“In line with the guidance permitting merchandise for essential government delivery, the ONS has produced branded items to encourage citizen participation in our social surveys. This incentivisation is a well-established and effective approach, enabling the ONS to produce critical statistics that inform the country. As part of this approach, since April 2025, the ONS has spent £400k on ONS note pads. The Starmer government tried to ban branded merch and away days last year.