Pressure on May over links to her party

THERESA May said she was ‘very concerned’ about how people’s Facebook data has been used as she was challenged about Tory links to the firm at the centre of the scandal yesterday.

Conservative Party officials last night admitted they were approached by Cambridge Analytica, but said they rejected the political consultancy’s offer of its services.

It is understood the offer came during David Cameron’s time in Downing Street. However, it was revealed three government departments had held contracts with the firm’s parent company, Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), in the past.

A Downing Street spokesman confirmed none of the departments has a current contract with SCL. But at PMQs yesterday, Mrs May faced questions about her party’s relationship with the parent company. Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, said links between the Tories and the firm ‘go on and on’. He said: ‘Its founding chairman was a former Conservative MP.

‘A director appears to have donated over £700,000 to the Tory party. A former Conservative party treasurer is a shareholder.’

Sir Geoffrey Pattie, a former Conservative minister and ex-Tory party vice chairman, was founding chairman of SCL.