Change UK spent more than £1,300 on ads saying they wanted to ‘remain in the UK’ The fledgling political party has paid to promote five separate Facebook adverts saying it’s campaigning to ‘remain in the UK’

Change UK has spent at least £1,300 promoting Facebook adverts saying it is campaigning to “remain in the UK”.

The fledgling anti-Brexit party, made up of former Labour and Conservative MPs, published five separate ads on 19 and 20 May, all containing the same error. It meant to say it is campaigning to remain in the European Union.

Data from Facebook’s ad library shows Change UK spent a minimum of £1,300 promoting the video and photo-led adverts, but it may have been as much as £3,495.

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All five adverts were targeted at Londoners, aiming to persuade them to vote for the party’s MEP candidates at this week’s European elections.

‘They are campaigning to remain in the UK’

“Your London MEP candidates bring energy, passion, and diverse experience,” the copy read. “They are campaigning to remain in the UK, for a People’s Vote, and to ensure a prosperous future for everyone in this city.”

Change UK spent between £500-999 promoting the first ad, featuring a picture of Luciana Berger MP, on 19 May, then between £100-499 each on two further ads later that same day.

It promoted two further video ads the following day, one for between £500-999 and another for between £100-499.

Facebook’s ad library cannot tell you exactly how much has been spent promoting an advert, and only provides a range.

Outspending all other parties on Facebook

Change UK spent £87,880 on Facebook advertising between 14-20 May – significantly more than any other party.

The Liberal Democrats spent £30,303, Labour spent £24,793, the Brexit Party spent £23,500 and the Conservatives spent £15,957.

Despite this, on the eve of the polls opening, Change UK are not currently projected to win any seats, and are polling below five per cent.

The party put up 70 candidates for election across the country, though two had to pull out after offensive social media posts from their past were uncovered.

Brexit Party leading polls

Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is predicted to gain the most votes and seats, polling at around 37 per cent, while the Conservatives are behind both Labour and the Lib Dems, and in some polls have slipped into fifth place behind the Greens.

On Monday, Change UK’s former Tory MP Heidi Allen admitted the party may not exist in its current form after the next general election.

“If we’ve managed to bring together some of the other MPs from the House of Commons, the format might be slightly different,” she said.

“But whatever the brand new world party looks like, at that point of the general election in South Cambridge [where she is an MP], absolutely. I’m not going back to the Conservatives.”