Tories’ £18m campaign bill for ballot flop
THE Tories shelled out £7.5million more on the 2017 election than Labour and still lost their majority.
Electoral Commission data reveal the Tories’ £18,565,102 total spend included £4million for the services of election strategist Sir Lynton Crosby.
They spent £262,799 on private jets and helicopters with Starflight Aviation.
And £2,287 went to hair stylist and make-up artists at InParlour Ltd.
Tory campaigners spent almost £13,000 in a single Westminster sandwich shop and got through £6,000 of smoked salmon from H Forman and Sons.
Two weeks after the election Michael Gove said its London Cure salmon would get protected status.
THERESA May bought her shop-soiled Downing Street extension after a Tory Party significantly financed by wealthy fatcats outspent Labour £18.5million to £11million in last year’s election.
Level the playing field and let the best political party, not the richest, win. The disparity helped buy power, if not a Parliamentary majority. It cannot be healthy for one party to be bankrolled far more than another.
Tightly capping individual donations and lowering the amount parties can spend would be fairer, a battle of ideas for the popular vote is clearly preferable to money talking loudly.