Sowerby Bridge News

Calder Valley Conservatives Getting Rich Through Ashcroft?

The Calder Valley Lib-Dem candidate Hilary Myers, has called for her Conservative counterpart Craig Whittaker to come clean about how much money is being contributed to the Calder Valley Conservative’s election campaign by the hyper-rich Conservative deputy chairman, Lord Ashcroft.

In a letter to the Halifax Courier, Hilary Myers highlights the expensive bus advertising campaign launched by Craig Whittaker last week, and challenges him to be open and transparent about his campaign funding and sources.

Ms Myers says: “I challenge him to come clean now about his expenses and how he is funding his campaign. If he is not prepared to be open about this there is little reason to trust him to do so should he be elected to represent the people of Calder Valley in the next Parliament.”

“If he is not prepared to be open about this there is little reason to trust him to do so should he be elected to represent the people of Calder Valley in the next Parliament.”

Dozens of newspapers, broadcasters and commentators have drawn attention to Lord Ashcroft’s ‘war-chest’ funding contributions being used to help the Conservative Party support campaigns in marginal seats such as Calder Valley. The Conservative party have already spent an additional £6m preparing the ground in constituencies regarded as the key swing seats, and a recent drive for votes masterminded, and largely funded by Lord Ashcroft, has seen party headquarters throw an additional £1.1m into the coffers of constituency parties in Britain’s most marginal seats.

The Calder Valley Conservative’s bus campaign was contracted to the multi-national advertising firm CBS Outside, under their Calderdale Council client account, and is understood to have cost in the region of £30,000.