The Conservatives’ candidate to become West Midlands mayor has defended spending up to £1m on the campaign, dwarfing his opponents’ spending power.



City mayors could head off post-Brexit divisions Read more

Andy Street, the former John Lewis boss who quit to run for the role, said targeting voters before spending rules began could be justified because the role was vital to 2.5 million people in Birmingham and the surrounding area.

The comments come ahead of a tightly fought race and a string of mayoral contests to be held on Thursday. Many council elections are also happening that day.

There is a strict spending limit of about £130,000 during the final five weeks leading up to the 4 May election but there is no cap on spending before that, and most of Street’s material was distributed during January, February and March.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday, Street said: “I haven’t spent quite a million, but I have spent a substantial amount more than my opponents and actually I think that’s OK, and I’ll tell you why. This is a very important election; a new start in democracy for this region. It is 2.5 million people and so it is absolutely appropriate. We have worked within the rules, which are that if you raise money you can spend it.”

Campaign spending will have to be declared to the Electoral Commission by mid-June, and details of larger donations will be published on its website later in the year.

Street’s campaign has sent hundreds of thousands of households newspapers, leaflets and mailshots bearing his image and campaign pledges.

Siôn Simon, Street’s Labour opponent, said the rules on spending on mayoral elections should be tightened. “You can’t blame Andy for sticking to the rules but it does beg the question whether the rules are right. I think the rules are wrong. In general elections, the regulated period starts much earlier. No rules at all, a complete free for all, until six weeks before polling day – I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it.”

Labour’s campaign spending is thought to be between £100,000 and £200,000. It has focused on social media campaigning and phone banks, where volunteers call up voters to ask for their support. The Lib Dem candidate has spent about £50,000.

Simon has struggled to raise money from some of Jeremy Corbyn’s close allies including the Unite union. In the interview, Simon declined to mention Corbyn, despite being invited to do so. Asked who would be a better prime minister, Theresa May or Corbyn, Simon said: “I will be voting Labour.”