The British people cannot be bought, but their views and votes can be heavily influenced by a flood of political party propaganda – from expensive advertising and constant leaflet drops to personalised online messages targeted directly at voters.
When I fought the election of 2010, there was a massive imbalance in spending. In 2007 we had inherited Labour party debts of £25m following the 2005 election – and with such tight finances Labour was able to spend only £8m in 2010, in contrast to the Conservatives’ £17m. We lost out in particular by being unable to invest in the new forms of online advertising coming on stream.
