The Tories are spending hundreds on multiple Facebook and Instagram ads ahead of this Thursday’s crucial by-elections.
However the evidence shows Rishi Sunak’s main concern isn’t Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, but Reform UK.
According to Meta’s ad library, the Conservative Party is running no fewer than four consecutive adverts across both social media platforms, all warning voters that Sir Keir Starmer will welcome voters switching from the Tories to Reform UK.
The adverts, which have been seen by up to 40,000 voters in Wellingborough, claim Labour is “relying on Reform voters”.
One of the two ad designs shows Sir Keir popping a champagne cork, captioned with a newspaper headline that Reform’s candidate has said he is “happy” with a Labour government.
A second design features the same quote from Reform’s candidate, alongside a warning that “A vote for Reform UK will give Labour the chance to make everything worse…”
Responding to the campaigning revelation, Reform UK leader Richard Tice told the Express that it proves the Tories are “terrified” of his party.
Mr Tice also reported that their campaign in Wellingborough is going well, and only Reform UK and Labour are putting any effort into the crunch election.
This weekend the Express revealed that a low turnout at the by-election could see Reform UK take a stunning victory off the Conservatives in Wellingborough.
According to Labour canvassing returns, their candidate Gen Kitchen is set to win the seat, but “Reform and the Tories are neck and neck” for second place.
Ben Habib, Reform UK’s candidate for Wellingborough, told Express.co.uk: “It’s game on! We can win this and it will send a message to the Tories that their time is up. We can shock the political world.”
He has already declared that the by-election is “a referendum on the Sunak Government”.
Sources have suggested that he will only be able to pull off a victory if there is a low turnout, with most previous Conservative voters “going on strike” combined with a number “switching to Reform”.
