The Pictures
You may have heard of the "Battlebus"- a major plank in the Tory 2015 General Election strategy whereby large numbers of volunteers, their organisers and party superstars were parachuted into target constituencies with the aim of out-campaigning the opposition.
Despite its name this strategy didn't just involve buses and was better known within the party as Road Trip 2015 and occassionaly Tube Trip 2015. It has since morphed into Road Trip 2020 - @RoadTrip2020 - which is the source of much of this material.
When Channel 4 highlighted irregularities with the Conservative's 2015 GE Expenses return, much of which focused on the battle bus campaign, the Tories were quick to respond and admitted that they'd failed to declare around £38,000 of expenses due to an administrative error which had neglected to record the accommodation costs incurred by the Battlebus campaign.
Now this is the important bit - "The Tories insisted the Battlebus operation was part of the national campaign organised by Conservative Campaign HQ and, as such, the expenditure did not form part of the spending by individual candidates." -
source because, in almost all cases, if it had been costed as a local expense then the local candidate would have exceeded their spending limit and broken the law. It's a serious crime - "Any candidate found guilty of an election offence could face up to one year in prison, and being barred from office for three years." -
source
According to the Electoral Commission "There are two types of spending... Candidate spending... is when a candidate authorises campaigning to promote them at an election... Party campaign spending is... to promote the party and its policies generally... rather than individual candidates for local areas."
So the Conservative Party claims the Battlebus operation was part of the national campaign and therefore promoted the party and its policies generally and NOT individual candidates for local areas.
Now pick something, a tweet, an instagram and you decide whether it shows local or national campaigning.
Tweets
| 02/05/17 | Yes, we were. The Conservative Party paid 0 to our travel. We made an executive decision as an association to go and help David. |
| 07/05/15 | Great day out in Thanet South campaigning with #Battlebus2015 for @cmackinlay |
| 07/05/15 | London #battlebus2015 has been getting out the vote for @tania_mathias this morning. #VoteConservative #onthebus |
| 06/05/15 | #Battlebus2015 joined by @nadhimzahawi has been supporting @mikejwood in Dudley South this morning #Conservative |
| 06/05/15 | #BattleBus2015 #day5 in #Cheadle with Mary Robinson pushing for a #ConservativeMajority #VoteConservative @Team2015 |
| 06/05/15 | What a fantastic @team2015 on the battle bus straight out talking to voters across the constituency. @ToryChairman |
| 05/05/15 | Home Secretary joins Midlands #Battlebus2015 for the second time, this time in Erewash to campaign for @mthroup |
| 05/05/15 | Tory #Battlebus2015 out in #WeaverVale helping the local champion @GrahamEvans #FiveMoreYears |
| 05/05/15 | Labour thought if they take down our signs, we'll go away - they had no idea how persistent Tories are #Battlebus2015 |
| 05/05/15 | #Battlebus2015 is in Morecambe& Lunesdale supporting the brilliant @DavidMorris2015 & with @Jeremy_Hunt @RoadTrip2015 |
| 05/05/15 | Great response on the doorsteps for hardworking @GrahamEvans today with #Battlebus2015 II @Team2015 @RoadTrip2015 |
| 05/05/15 | Great to be out with a huge team from @LondonCF,@Team2015 & @CroydonTories with Boris to help re-elect @BackBarwell |
| 05/05/15 | "@nickphking: Good to see @BorisJohnson in #Chiswick supporting @MaryMacleod2015 with @Team2015 volunteers" |
| 05/05/15 | In Morecambe pushing for a #ConservativeMajority with @Jeremy_Hunt #BattleBus2015 #VoteConservative @Team2015 |
| 05/05/15 | 'In this world that we live there shld b more happiness' #Battlebus2015 @RoadTrip2015 @Conservatives @DavidMorris2015 |
| 04/05/15 | The backdrop is a little slice of Lancashire! @RoadTrip2015 #BattleBus2015 @KulveerRanger @ROSSENDALEFORME |
| 04/05/15 | It may be a bank holiday, but Midlands #battlebus2015 is out in force in Lincoln for great candidate @karlmccartney |
| 04/05/15 | Brilliant day campaigning in Bury today - 3 days to go #battlebus2015 |
| 04/05/15 | The Midlands #Battlebus2015 team supporting @karlmccartney outside @LincsCathedral today #VoteConservative |
| 04/05/15 | A huge #Team2015 turnout today to support @simonkirby4mp the @Conservatives candidate in #Brighton #VoteConservative |
| 04/05/15 | PHOTO: Great support for @simonkirby4mp today, campaigning for more jobs and investment in Brighton |
| 04/05/15 | .@RoadTrip2015 @gregsmithsw6 @EmmaPidding @kellysmithuk 'Happy Days' was feeling nostalgic for The Fonz... |
| 04/05/15 | Fantastic day today with the #conservative #battlebus2015 in #Ramsbottom supporting @DavidNuttallMP #GE2015 |
| 04/05/15 | Thanks to everyone who came to #Ramsbottom on the #battlebus2015 campaigning for @DavidNuttallMP #BuryNorth |
| 04/05/15 | Great support on doorsteps for @DavidNuttallMP Fantastic turnout @Team2015 @RoadTrip2015 #Battlebus2015 in Bury |
| 04/05/15 | #TeamTory at DCT to help reelect our hardworking MP @DavidMundellDCT. |
| 04/05/15 | Great morning campaigning with @RoadTrip2015 for @DerekThomas2015 in St Ives #battlebus2015 @Conservatives #GeneralElection2015 |
| 03/05/15 | Great day so far helping the wonderful @olivercolvile in #Plymouth! |
| 03/05/15 | The Pudsey #Battlebus2015 campaign ended with huge support for @StuartAndrew and the #conservative cause |
| 03/05/15 | PHOTO: #Battlebus2015 teams out campaigning in force today, from Carlisle to Hastings! |
| 03/05/15 | Top day of campaigning in Carlisle for @John4Carlisle with #Battlebus2015 & the great @RoryStewartUK @Conservatives |
| 03/05/15 | Excellent response for @StuartAndrew on doorsteps of Pudsey today with #Battlebus2015 @Team2015 @RoadTrip2015 |
| 03/05/15 | Big team out to campaign for @paulupalwsw from #battlebus2015 & #team2015 with @NickBolesMP & Geoffrey Clifton-Brown |
| 03/05/15 | Great turnout for #battlebus2015 today: top effort from @MrMarkClarke @indiabrummitt @ellie_vt @deborahfeld & more |
| 02/05/15 | 5 days to go & our #Battlebus2015 is in Halifax with grt local candidate Philip Allott @Conservatives @RoadTrip2015 |
| 02/05/15 | Midlands #battlebus2015 is in Amber Valley today - with a big team campaigning for @VoteNigelMills #VoteConservative |
| 02/05/15 | Brilliant turn out for great local candidate @stroud_neil with Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and our #Battlebus2015 team. |
| 02/05/15 | THANK YOU to #Team2015 members for your amazing backing this weekend. With your help, we'll secure a brighter future. |
| 02/05/15 | “@Team2015 Huge numbers. #Battlebus2015 Join them at http://team2015.co.uk ” Huge your arse ! #GE2015 |
| 02/05/15 | And yet another great @Team2015 #Battlebus2015 campaigning in Stroud for @stroud_neil today... |
| 02/05/15 | One of our @Team2015 #Battlebus2015 arriving in Amber Valley supporting @VoteNigelMills today - #VoteConservative |
| 02/05/15 | PHOTO: #Battlebus2015 having a brilliant day out. Huge numbers. Join them at http://team2015.co.uk |
| 02/05/15 | Conservatives Use SNP Deal Rumours To Cane Miliband - Breitbart http://bit.ly/1E4dLy6 #BattleBus2015 #GE2015 #GE15 |
| 02/05/15 | Great to be in Nuneaton @Team2015 #Battlebus2015 campaigning for Marcus Jones yesterday @TorySocial @ToryChairman |
| 02/05/15 | Great to be speaking to voters in Ripley on behalf of @VoteNigelMills today! #Team2015 #VoteConservative |
| 01/05/15 | Great Midlands #Battlebus2015 morning campaigning in Nuneaton for @Marcus4Nuneaton with @AlanDuncanMP @ChrisPincher |
| 01/05/15 | Fantastic @Team2015 #Battlebus2015 turnout in Nuneaton for hardworking local campaigner @Marcus4Nuneaton |
| 30/04/15 | Fantastic to have the Home Secretary join Midlands #Battlebus2015 in Broxtowe today campaigning for @Anna_Soubry |
| 30/04/15 | Thank u @TeamBroxtowe15 #Team2015 @Conservatives topped by @David_Cameron outstanding on QT |
| 29/04/15 | Incredible number of activists join @grantshapps & #battlebus2015 in Sherwood today for @Mark_Spencer @ToryChairman |
| 28/04/15 | Superb day for @Michael_Ellis1 with @ToryChairman @grantshapps, Lord Feldman & Chris Grayling with #Battlebus2015 |
| 28/04/15 | The sun is shining and #Battlebus2015 is out and about in Northampton North with @Michael_Ellis1 @EmmaPidding |
| 28/04/15 | Delighted to be joined by @RoryStewartUK to help @AlexChalkChelt and the #Battlebus2015 team! |
| 28/04/15 | Another cracking speech this afternoon from @AlexChalkChelt, thanking all #Battlebus2015 activists! #chalk4cheltenham |
| 28/04/15 | Can you tell who #Battlebus2015 South West is with today?! #chalk4cheltenham |
| 27/04/15 | #battlebus2015 in Cannock today to support @amandamilling with Patrick McLoughlin @EmmaPidding @BatesLord @S_Hammond |
| 27/04/15 | Great to be in Cannock with @Amandamilling and team telling everyone why they should #voteConservative |
| 27/04/15 | Great to have Patrick McLoughlin supporting @amandamilling in Cannock Chase today |
| 13/04/15 | Great to see @cwowomen Chairman @NikiMolnar and @ConsFuture Chairman @alexHpaterson supporting #Battlebus2015. |
| 11/04/15 | @GlasgowTories on route to help David Mundell in the borders #ToriesOnTour |
| 11/04/15 | The team on tour with @DavidMundellDCT helping our hardworking MP in Dumfriesshire. #TeamTory |
| 07/02/15 | THANK YOU to the Team2015 volunteers working to secure a better future this weekend. Sign up: https://www.conservatives.com/team2015 |
Instagrams