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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/01/tories-accused-of-using-public-funds-for-ads-on-facebook-in-key-seats
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| Tories accused of using public funds for Facebook ads in key seats | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of going on a spending spree using taxpayers’ money to woo voters in swing seats in the run up to the general election. | |
| Ministers released details on Wednesday of plans to improve dilapidated town centres of key marginal seats mainly across the north of England and the Midlands. Public money is being spent to publicise the scheme using targeted Facebook advertisements sent to local people. | Ministers released details on Wednesday of plans to improve dilapidated town centres of key marginal seats mainly across the north of England and the Midlands. Public money is being spent to publicise the scheme using targeted Facebook advertisements sent to local people. |
| In an announcement on a government website, the department of housing, communities and local government claimed that part of a £3.6bn fund would be spent boosting rundown high streets across dozens of towns. | In an announcement on a government website, the department of housing, communities and local government claimed that part of a £3.6bn fund would be spent boosting rundown high streets across dozens of towns. |
| Adverts inform the public that “the government is investing up to £25m” in their local area, featuring the name and image of the local town. In reality, the sum going to each settlement is likely to be much smaller. | Adverts inform the public that “the government is investing up to £25m” in their local area, featuring the name and image of the local town. In reality, the sum going to each settlement is likely to be much smaller. |
| The seats being targeted include Wakefield, Bolton, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Mansfield, Lincoln, and Newcastle-under-Lyme as well as some coastal towns such as Lowestoft. | The seats being targeted include Wakefield, Bolton, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Mansfield, Lincoln, and Newcastle-under-Lyme as well as some coastal towns such as Lowestoft. |
| It also appears that public funding may have been used to buy adverts promoting government investment in Workington – the home of “Workington Man”, which some Tory-backing groups have suggested is the stereotypical individual who needs to be won over to win the election. | |
| According to the Huffington Post, ministers authorised the adverts to go live on Tuesday – the same day Johnson received parliamentary support for a snap general election. | According to the Huffington Post, ministers authorised the adverts to go live on Tuesday – the same day Johnson received parliamentary support for a snap general election. |
| Farage to Johnson: join forces or Brexit party will contest every seat | Farage to Johnson: join forces or Brexit party will contest every seat |
| The decision to use public funds to promote the adverts shows how the government is able to skirt rules that restrict public advertising spending during elections, as parliament has yet to be dissolved and the campaign has not formally begun. | |
| The adverts are also not recorded by Facebook as being of a political nature, making it harder to see how much money the government is spending on the campaign and raising questions about the effectiveness of the social network’s political transparency measures. | The adverts are also not recorded by Facebook as being of a political nature, making it harder to see how much money the government is spending on the campaign and raising questions about the effectiveness of the social network’s political transparency measures. |
| The Labour MP Ian Lucas has called the promotion an “outrageous” misuse of public money. “These adverts are being deployed to Tory target seats on the cusp of a general election,” he said. “It would be an insult to our intelligence to say that this isn’t public money being used for political purposes. It clearly is. | The Labour MP Ian Lucas has called the promotion an “outrageous” misuse of public money. “These adverts are being deployed to Tory target seats on the cusp of a general election,” he said. “It would be an insult to our intelligence to say that this isn’t public money being used for political purposes. It clearly is. |
| “It is an example of how the government is merging political activity with the arms of government in its own political interest,” he told the news website. | “It is an example of how the government is merging political activity with the arms of government in its own political interest,” he told the news website. |
| Lucas has written to Michael Gove, the cabinet minister, demanding to know how data was gathered for the campaign and how much it has cost. | Lucas has written to Michael Gove, the cabinet minister, demanding to know how data was gathered for the campaign and how much it has cost. |
| Parliament has not yet dissolved and the civil service has not officially entered the pre-election period when it must remain neutral. The advertisements were published after Labour had acknowledged it would back an election. | |
| Under the MyTown scheme, each local authority will receive a share of capacity funding to kickstart plans to redevelop town centres. Ministers said the funding could be used to redevelop vacant buildings and land, drive private-sector investment by supporting small businesses and ensure that young people have the skills they need to get good jobs. | Under the MyTown scheme, each local authority will receive a share of capacity funding to kickstart plans to redevelop town centres. Ministers said the funding could be used to redevelop vacant buildings and land, drive private-sector investment by supporting small businesses and ensure that young people have the skills they need to get good jobs. |
| Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has come under pressure to follow Twitter in banning political ads, but has refused. | Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has come under pressure to follow Twitter in banning political ads, but has refused. |
| A government spokesman told the news website that ministers would respond to Lucas’s letter. “These posts were published before the election was called and parliament has not yet been dissolved. All towns selected were chosen according to the same selection methodology, including analysis of deprivation, exposure to Brexit, productivity, economy resilience and investment opportunities,” he said. | A government spokesman told the news website that ministers would respond to Lucas’s letter. “These posts were published before the election was called and parliament has not yet been dissolved. All towns selected were chosen according to the same selection methodology, including analysis of deprivation, exposure to Brexit, productivity, economy resilience and investment opportunities,” he said. |
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