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| General Election 2019: Facebook takes down 'political' ad campaign | General Election 2019: Facebook takes down 'political' ad campaign |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Facebook says it has taken down a government advertising campaign that was accused of targeting voters in marginal election constituencies. | |
| The social media firm said the ads "were not correctly labelled" and did not include the obligatory disclaimer. | The social media firm said the ads "were not correctly labelled" and did not include the obligatory disclaimer. |
| Each of the ads in the campaign, first reported by HuffPost UK, said the government was investing "up to £25m" in a named town. | Each of the ads in the campaign, first reported by HuffPost UK, said the government was investing "up to £25m" in a named town. |
| But the government said it was always planned to end the promotion today. | |
| The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government maintains the advertisements were not "pulled" by Facebook. | |
| A spokesperson added: "While the posts are still present on Facebook, they are no longer being promoted as the paid-for campaign has ended." | |
| One Labour MP said it was an "outrageous" use of public money. | One Labour MP said it was an "outrageous" use of public money. |
| Key election battlegrounds | |
| The "MyTown" campaign promoted the government's £3.6bn Towns Fund in several key general election battlegrounds, such as Northampton, Milton Keynes and Mansfield. | The "MyTown" campaign promoted the government's £3.6bn Towns Fund in several key general election battlegrounds, such as Northampton, Milton Keynes and Mansfield. |
| Each of these contain a marginal constituency, one where there were fewer than 2,000 votes separating the top two candidates in the last general election or parliamentary by-election. | Each of these contain a marginal constituency, one where there were fewer than 2,000 votes separating the top two candidates in the last general election or parliamentary by-election. |
| Parliament has not yet been dissolved and the civil service has not yet entered the pre-election period, known as "purdah", where it is barred from making major announcements that might influence the outcome of the vote. | Parliament has not yet been dissolved and the civil service has not yet entered the pre-election period, known as "purdah", where it is barred from making major announcements that might influence the outcome of the vote. |
| But the ads went live on Tuesday, the same day Boris Johnson secured support for an early general election on 12 December. | But the ads went live on Tuesday, the same day Boris Johnson secured support for an early general election on 12 December. |
| Facebook said the taxpayer-funded ads "were not correctly labelled" as being about "social issues, elections or politics", in line with its voluntary system to make social and political advertising more transparent. | Facebook said the taxpayer-funded ads "were not correctly labelled" as being about "social issues, elections or politics", in line with its voluntary system to make social and political advertising more transparent. |
| A spokesman said: "Ads about social issues, elections or politics that appear on our platforms should include a disclaimer provided by advertisers." | A spokesman said: "Ads about social issues, elections or politics that appear on our platforms should include a disclaimer provided by advertisers." |
| It comes as Facebook comes under pressure over its policies on fact-checking political advertising and as rival social media giant Twitter banned political adverts altogether. | It comes as Facebook comes under pressure over its policies on fact-checking political advertising and as rival social media giant Twitter banned political adverts altogether. |
| Labour MP Ian Lucas wrote to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove objecting to the campaign, saying the targeted areas appeared to be selected for political reasons. | Labour MP Ian Lucas wrote to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove objecting to the campaign, saying the targeted areas appeared to be selected for political reasons. |
| "It would be an insult to our intelligence to say that this isn't public money being used for political purposes. It clearly is," he told HuffPost UK, calling the campaign "outrageous". | "It would be an insult to our intelligence to say that this isn't public money being used for political purposes. It clearly is," he told HuffPost UK, calling the campaign "outrageous". |
| A government spokesman told the BBC that the posts were published before the election was announced. | A government spokesman told the BBC that the posts were published before the election was announced. |
| "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. | "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. |