Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn handed Facebook and Google MILLIONS despite clampdown promise
Levels of spending splashing £1,500 on a day's hair and makeup
THERESA MAY and Jeremy Corbyn paid millions to Facebook and Google at last year’s snap election despite both vowing to clampdown on the offshore social media giants.
The Conservatives spent more than four times as much as Labour did on Facebook ads racking up a £2 million bill compared to £577,000 on the controversial social network.
Mrs May’s campaign also spent £562,000 advertising on Google - who are headquartered in Dublin - with Labour being billed £254,000 by the firm.
In 2016 Labour’s John McDonnell accused Google of only paying “mate’s rates for taxes.”
Meanwhile Theresa May and her ministers have repeatedly savaged Facebook, accusing them of helping terrorists and child abusers thrive online.
Major political parties spent more than £4 million on social media advertising during the unexpected campaign last year - more than twice what was spent during the 2015 election.
The Liberal Democrats spent £412,000 on Facebook and £203,000 on Google.
The figures came as all the publishing for major party’s was released by the elections watchdog.
They showed that the Conservatives outspent Labour by more than £7.5 million in the 12 months to last year’s general election, according the Electoral Commission.
The Tories reported spending of £18,565,102 in the regulated period running from June 9 2016 to polling day on June 8 2017.
In contrast, Labour reported spending of £11,003,980 over the same period.
And The Sun can reveal Mrs May billed Conservative donors £1,500 for hair and make up on the night of her spectacular election disaster.
When her snap poll backfired, the PM appeared at her constituency count looking tearful and new figures released show she kept a make up artist to hand for more than 17 hours that evening.
It came as part of more than £2,000 paid to ‘InParlour Ltd’, “an exclusive team of professional freelance hair and makeup artists, hairdressers and body painters”.
Last night the Electoral Commission said both main parties, along with the Green Party, were now facing investigation for submitting spending returns that were missing invoices and for “potentially inaccurate statements of payments made”.
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Boss Bob Posner said: “It is vital that voters are given an opportunity to see accurate and full reportable data on what parties and campaigners spent money on in order to influence them at last year’s general election.
“This provides transparency in the political finance system and is open for anyone to scrutinise.
“We are investigating possible breaches of the rules.