Reform UK spending on Facebook ads surged before May elections

There were several days in the fortnight before the elections when Nigel Farage’s party spent more than any other party on Facebook. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Reform UK ramped up the funding and sophistication of its political Facebook ads in the final weeks of campaigning for the May elections, in a sign of the growing financial muscle of Nigel Farage’s party.

There were several days in the fortnight before the party’s breakthrough electoral performance when Reform spent more than any other party on the influential platform.