Government accused of spin over plans to fund £400,000 show... fronted by Jeremy Kyle

The Government is in talks with ITV about spending nearly £500,000 on a show fronted by controversial talk-show host Jeremy Kyle.

The programme, which has a working title Jeremy Kyle Gets Britain Working, would aim to get people off benefits and back into work.

It would highlight the role of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and explore how government policies can help people get jobs.

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Jeremy Kyle could front a government-funded show about getting people back into work

But the Government has come under fire for considering using up to £400,000-worth of public money to buy prime-time TV slots for 'spin'.

Don Foster, the Liberal Democrats shadow Culture Secretary said: 'It's a complete scandal that public funds are being wasted on commercial programmes that appear to be little more than political propaganda.

'It seems that not only is the Labour era of spin alive and well under the Brown government, it's positively thriving.

'I think many people would have reservations about whether taxpayers' money should be spent boosting Jeremy Kyle's profile.'

Criticism: Liberal Democrat Don Foster

Last year judge Alan Berg branded The Jeremy Kyle Show the human equivalent of 'bear bating'.

His comments came after he sentenced a man who headbutted a love rival while the two were guests on the programme.

'It seems to me that the whole purpose of the Jeremy Kyle Show is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people who are in some kind of turmoil,' Berg said at the time.

His comments prompted the Central Office of Information (COI), which handles publicity for Whitehall departments, to dropped Learndirect's £400,000 sponsorship of the programme, saying it was 'no longer appropriate to be associated' with it.

And earlier this year a court heard how a man threatened his wife with an air rifle after appearing on the show and discovering their baby was not his.

Craig Platt's barrister said it was a 'tragedy' his client had been persuaded to attend the show 'for the purposes of a public spectacle'.

A spokeswoman for the DWP confirmed talks were taking place with ITV. 'We want to use our communications as effectively and efficiently as possible to motivate and support people into work. We have appointed an agency to explore advertising-funded programming but no decisions have been taken,' she said.

An ITV spokesman said: 'We are always in talks with different parties about potential projects but we would not comment until an idea reaches the commissioning stage.'