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A Mirror investigation today reveals how 29 Tory MPs failed to declare thousands of pounds spent on their election campaigns in marginal seats.

None of the MPs we name below declared the party's controversial RoadTrip battlebuses in local budgets, with Tory HQ picking up the tab instead.

If the estimated £2,000 cost of the bus had been included locally, some of the MPs could have breached strict spending limits.

Five Tory RoadTrip battlebuses crossed the country to help handpicked candidates in the final stages of last year’s election campaign, with head office picking up the tab.

Read more:

The total cost of this campaign has never been published, but the Mirror has found invoices indicating it was more than £2,000 a day, including pay and expenses for volunteers and promotion costs.

(Image: Getty)

One receipt for two buses in the South West and Midlands showed each cost £400 a day to hire. Another was for £429.06 spent on “battle bus marketing” for a vehicle in Taunton.

Tory activist India Brummitt invoiced the party £1,060 a day for her time over 10 days.

Volunteering activists were asked to pay up to £10 a day for joining.

But an online advert placed by Ms Brummitt said: “We will meet ALL the remaining hotel costs and ALL the food costs and provide FREE transport to the Battlebus2015 hotel from London.”

It is unknown how much went on hotels, but invoices to the Electoral Commission show the party paid Premier Inn £55,091 in April alone.

We estimated if the 50 volunteers on each bus shared a £50 twin room and the party spent just £10 a day feeding them, a day’s campaigning would cost £1,750.

Adding £400 for the bus would bring the total to £2,150.

(Image: Getty)

Wells

James Heappey beat Liberal Democrat Tessa Munt by 7,585 votes.

Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat) 18,662 32.8%

Spending limit: £16,092.51

Declared: £14,575.64

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £633.13



Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis.

"I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national return not within our local return.”

(Image: @michael_ellis1/Twitter)

Northampton North

Michael Ellis beat Labour's Sally Keeble by 3245 votes.



Spending limit: £12,248.64

Declared: £11,418.70

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,320.06

Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis.

"I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national return, not within our local return."

(Image: @scottmannmp/Twitter)

North Cornwall

Scott Mann beat Liberal Democrat Dan Rogerson by 6,621 votes.

Spending limit: £14,732.43

Declared: £14,476.55

Not declared: hotels, food. Did declare hire of a separate local "battlebus"

Total estimated overspend: £1,894.12



Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Photoshot)

Weaver Vale

Graham Evans beat Labour's Julia Tickridge by 806 votes.

Spending limit: £14,856.63

Declared: £13,720.32

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,013.69



Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis.

"I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national return not within our local return."

Sherwood

Mark Spencer beat Labour's Léonie Mathers by 4647 votes.

Spending limit: £15,187.20

Declared: £12,760.00

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated underspend: £277.20

Did not respond to a request to comment.

Read more:Tories face claims election spending not declared

Thornbury and Yate

Luke Hall beat Liberal Democrat Steve Webb by 1495 votes.

Spending Limit: £14,709.21

Declared: £13,128.08

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £568.87

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: jamesberrymp.com)

Kingston

James Berry beat Liberal Democrat Ed Davey by 2834 votes.

Spending limit: £13,660.32

Declared: £12,296.37

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £786.05

Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis."

(Image: Evening Gazette)

Broxtowe

Anna Soubry beat Labour's Nick Palmer by 4287 votes.

Conservative gain

Spending limit: £15,000.09

Declared: £14,106.96

Not declared: bus, hotels, food, except for £140 paid to Beeston Conservative Club for “refreshments for Team 2015 activists”

Total estimated overspend: £1,256.87

Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 General Election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis.

"I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national return and not within my local return."

(Image: Photoshot)

Amber valley

Nigel Mills beat Labour's Kevin Gillott by 4205 votes

Spending limit: £14955.09

Declared: £13881.62

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,076.53

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Photoshot)

Morecambe and Lunesdale

David Morris beat Labour's Amina Lone by 4,590 votes.

Spending limit: £14,626.23

Declared: £14,118.09

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,641.86

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Getty)

Yeovil

Marcus Fysh beat Liberal Democrat David Laws by 5313 votes.

Spending limit: £16,242.54

Declared: £14,870.73

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £778.19



Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis.

"I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national return not within our local return."

(Image: Photoshot)

Pudsey

Stuart Andrew beat Jamie Hanley by 4,501 votes.

Spending limit: £12,823.38

Declared: £12,314.60

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,641.22

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Photoshot)

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Oliver Colvile beat Labour's Luke Pollardby 523 votes.

Spending limit: £12,846.18

Declared: £8,769.37

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated underspend: £1,926.81

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Emma Lee/BMP)

Erewash



Maggie Throup beat Labour's Catherine Atkinson by 3584 votes.



Spending limit: £15265.32

Declared: £12234.25

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated underspend: £881.07



Response: “My election expense return for the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law. It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration on that basis.

“I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine. Such campaigning would be part of the national return not within our local return.”

(Image: Photoshot)

Lincoln

Karl McCartney beat Labour's Lucy Rigby by 1,443 votes.

Spending limit: £13,136.28

Declared: £12,628.68

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,642.40

Response: "My election expense return for the 2015 General Election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign. I signed the necessary declaration as the Candidate on that basis.

"I am aware that CCHQ campaigned across the UK for the return of a Conservative Government, including in various seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national election expense return and as such not within our local (General Election or local government) expense return."

(Image: Photoshot)

Torbay

Kevin Foster beat Liberal Democrat Adrian Sanders by 3,286 votes.

Spending limit: £13,217.88

Declared: £12,193.42

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,125.54



Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Getty)

South Thanet

Craig Mackinlay beat UKIP's Nigel Farage by 2,812 votes.

Spending limit: £15,016.38

Declared: £14,837.77

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,971.39

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: Getty)

Nuneaton

Marcus Jones beat Labour's Vicky Fowler by 4,882 votes.

Spending limit: £14,768.88

Declared: £13,435.51

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £816.63



Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: amandamilling.com)

Cannock Chase

Amanda Milling beat Labour's Janos Toth by 4,923 votes.

Spending limit: £15,355.23

Declared: £14,465.95

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,260.72

Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: alexchalk.com)

Cheltenham

Alex Chalk beat Liberal Democrat Martin Horwood by 6,516 votes.

Spending limit: £13,229.34

Declared: £12,576.45

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,497.11



Did not respond to a request to comment.

(Image: westmidlandsconservatives.com)

Dudley South

Mike Wood beat Labour's Natasha Millward by 4,270 votes.

Spending limit: £12,295.68

Declared: £11,452.60

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,306.92

Response: "My election agent prepared and submitted my expense return, which included all expenditure legally authorised by myself and my agent for use in my campaign. I am confident that those returns fulfilled all of our obligations under both the letter and the spirit of the law, and so I signed the candidate's declaration accordingly.

"The Conservative Party, like all parties, campaigned strongly across the country to secure a parliamentary majority, and that campaigning activity is rightly part of the national expenditure return rather than local candidates' returns."

(Image: @mp_rt/Twitter)

Sutton and Cheam

Paul Scully beat Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow by 3,921 votes.

Spending limit: £12,760.38

Declared: £12,461.20

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated overspend: £1,850.82

Response: "My return for election expenses relating to the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"It included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign and I signed the required declaration on that basis.

"I am aware that Conservative Central Headquarters campaigned across the UK to secure the election of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine. Such campaigning would be part of the national return not within our local return."

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Bury North

David Nuttall beat Labour's James Frith by 378 votes.



Spending limit: £12755.40

Declared: £7151.30

Not declared: bus, hotels, food

Total estimated underspend: £3,448.10

Response: "As far as I am aware my election expense return was completed by my election agent in accordance with the law and that it included all items authorised by him for my campaign.

"I signed the declaration relating to the return on that basis.

"CCHQ campaigned on a national basis, including in constituencies such as mine, for the election of a majority Conservative government.

"My understanding is that the costs of this campaigning would be part of the national return and not included on our local return."

* Following further investigation by Channel 4 News, another six MPs have been identified who were visited by the Battlebuses but failed to declare the costs.

They are Neil Carmichael, MP for Stroud, George Eustice, MP for Camborne & Redruth, Jake Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, and Mary Robinson, MP for Cheadle.

This article was amended on May 13.