Labour leads Conservatives on internet spending before spending cap comes into effect

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Analysis by the Financial Times found that Labour candidates spent far more on Facebook and Instagram than the Conservatives in the crucial early days of the UK general election when local spending restrictions were looser.

In the days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called an election, Keir Starmer’s opposition spent more than £900,000 on advertising for individual candidates, compared with just £176,000 for the governing Conservatives.

The data showed Labour took full advantage of the nine-day window between Sunak’s announcement of his plans on May 22 and the dissolution of parliament, when tighter spending restrictions had not yet come into effect.

One Labor campaigner said the blitz helped their candidate gain “doorstep visibility” early in the campaign.

Although Sunak has opted to call an early general election on July 4, the difference in approach could be a symptom of a chaotic Conservative campaign.

The Conservatives will have to scramble to find candidates across the country, while Labour will have already chosen most of their candidates by the time Sunak launches his campaign.

Both parties spent similar amounts on advertising on their national party and leadership pages, but Labour spent more in the days leading up to the election.

In the year to 4 June, Labour had spent £1.4m, while the Conservatives had spent £660,000, with the difference mainly attributable to Labour’s candidate spending.

Labour’s ads are targeting younger voters, where it typically has strong support, while the Conservatives are targeting older people, who have historically been its base.

Most of the Conservative ads were aimed at voters over 55, and many were aimed at men rather than women. One series of ads reflected the Conservatives’ fear of losing votes from right-wing reformists: “A vote for reform is a vote for Keir Starmer.”

Overall, the main parties have similar impression numbers on the Meta platform, with Labour leading with 135 million impressions compared to the Conservatives’ 121 million as of June 5, suggesting the Conservatives’ lower spend is more effective.

Social media platforms often charge advertisers extra to target younger users and specific geographic areas, both of which are elements of Labor’s strategy.

“It depends on how narrow an audience you’re targeting. If it’s a very narrow audience, then it’s going to cost more,” said Clare O’Donoghue Velikić, who previously led a team at Facebook that worked on political marketing in the UK.

Neither Labour nor the Conservatives responded to requests for comment.

British electoral rules limit each candidate’s spending to around £20,000, based on the number of voters in their constituency. The cap covers all expenses, not just advertising. The rule came into effect on May 30.

Political parties will also be limited to spending of around £35m nationwide, up from £19.5m in 2019. To qualify for this higher cap, party spending must not be targeted to specific candidates and constituencies.

Labour candidates spent more than £10,000 during the nine-day campaign, with the biggest spender being the candidate in the Conservative stronghold of Chelsea and Fulham, who spent £22,000.

During the same period, only three Conservative candidates spent more than £10,000, including Defence Secretary Grant Shapps of Welwyn Hatfield.

Labor’s digital advertising strategy appears to be more centralised, with its ads including coordinated campaigns on the Facebook and Instagram pages of candidates in hundreds of constituencies.

Immediately after Sunak announced his candidacy, 166 Labour Party candidates released personal video ads with the caption “Breaking news: A general election has been called”. The ads cost £150,000 and received more than 12 million impressions, introducing their candidate to millions of potential voters.

Labour activists say party headquarters helped them produce the videos weeks in advance, provided strategic advice and even became administrators of their Facebook pages, running ads on their behalf.

The Conservatives responded to Labour’s coordinated move with a series of video ads titled “Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future.”

The ads appeared on the ballot papers for 39 candidates, but only started on May 28 and stopped on May 30 due to lower spending per candidate. The Conservatives spent £9,000 on the ads.

Tom Hamilton, a former Labour staffer from 2008 to 2018 and now a director of Public First, said the reason for the different approach could be that Conservative candidates saw little benefit in working closely with the core party.

“This is not a story about how political parties are organized, this is a story about who wins and who loses,” he said.

The Conservatives are currently 21 points behind Labour in opinion polls, according to the Financial Times poll tracker. Some Conservative candidates have avoided featuring or mentioning the party or Sunak’s name in their campaign materials.

“When your campaign looks like it’s going to win, it’s easier to get candidates to buy into your core message and brand,” Hamilton said.