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Brexit adverts used by Leave campaign revealed by Facebook

Viewed by millions, the ads attacked immigration and made false claims about the NHS

Thursday 26 July 2018 18:29 BST

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Vote Leave investigated by Electoral Commission over Brexit campaign spending

The targeted campaign adverts used by the Leave campaign in the Brexit referendum have been revealed by Facebook.

They show that millions of people saw adverts attacking immigration and promoting now widely discredited claims about an additional £350m being paid to the NHS every week.

They also focused on Boris Johnson and other key campaign points, the data shows.

The revelations come as The Independent's campaign for a Final Say on Brexit gathered more than 225,000 backers in just a day.

The campaign demands voters are given a new referendum on Theresa May's exit terms before March next year. You can add your support by signing our petition here.

Nine adverts were viewed between two and five million times out of hundreds paid for by Vote Leave, suggesting the group had paid significantly more to have the messaging appear more prominently in people's newsfeeds on Facebook.

Michael Moszynski, an expert in online advertising, said it was clear that those adverts which were viewed the most had been the "priority of the messaging" which Vote Leave wanted "to expose to those audiences".

Five of the nine Vote Leave adverts which were viewed millions of times focused on immigration.

Brexit casualties

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1/10Brexit casualties

Brexit casualties

Andrea Jenkyns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary at the ministry for housing, communities and local government role

May 2018 - The Morley and Outwood MP said: “We want to see a new relationship with Europe, with a new model not enjoyed by other countries – nothing that leaves us half-in, half-out. “And in order to achieve this, we need to leave the customs union.” Ms Jenkyn’s also said she wished to dedicate more of her time to Parliament’s influential Exiting the European Union select committee, after a series of “unbalanced” reports produced by MPs

PA

Brexit casualties

David Davis - Resigned from Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union role

July 2018 - quit following a major row with May over her plans for post-Brexit relations with the EU. Davis resignation letter said: “As you know there have been a significant number of occasions in the last year or so on which I have disagreed with the Number 10 policy line, ranging from accepting the [European] Commission’s sequencing of negotiations, through to the language on Northern Ireland in the December Joint Report. “At each stage I have accepted collective responsibility because it is part of my task to find workable compromises, and because I considered it was still possible to deliver on the mandate of the referendum, and on our manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union and the Single Market. “I am afraid that I think the current trend of policy and tactics is making that look less and less likely.” He went on to argue that the “general direction” of Ms May’s policies would leave the UK “in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one”.

AFP/Getty

Brexit casualties

Steve Baker - Resigned from Minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union role

July 2018 - Mr Baker, a key Tory figure in the Leave campaign, was David Davis’s main lieutenant at Dexeu, and was hailed as ”courageous and principled” by other Brexiteer Tories as he also left.

Reuters

Brexit casualties

Boris Johnson - Resigned from Foreign Secretary role

July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Mr Johnson said: "On Friday, I acknowledged that my side of the argument were too few to prevail and congratulated you on at least reaching a Cabinet decision on the way forward. "As I said then, the government now has a song to sing. "The trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat."

Reuters

Brexit casualties

Conor Burns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary role

July 2018 - A Brexit supporter who worked alongside Boris Johnson stated in his resignation letter: “I've decided it's time to have greater freedom. I want to see the referendum result respected. And there are other areas of policy I want to speak more openly on.”

Rex

Brexit casualties

Chris Green - Resigned from Department for Transport role

July 2018 - The Bolton West MP said: "Parliament overwhelmingly decided to give the decision of whether to leave or remain in the European Union to the British people and they made an unambiguous decision that we ought to leave. "I have always understood the idea in 'Brexit means Brexit' is that the final deal should be clear to me and my constituents - that we have, in no uncertain terms, left the European Union. Twitter Ads info and privacy "The direction the negotiations had been taking have suggested that we would not really leave the EU and the conclusion and statements following the Chequers summit confirmed my fears. "I recognise that delivering Brexit is challenging, however I had hoped at tonight's meeting that there would be some certainty that my fears were unfounded but, instead, they have been confirmed. "I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve as Parliamentary Private Secretary and it is with regret that I offer my resignation with immediate effect."

PA

Brexit casualties

Maria Caulfield - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for women role

July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. Lewes MP warned that the direction of travel did “not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide”. Ms Caulfield said in her letter to the PM: “The policy may assuage vested interests, but the voters will find out and their representatives will be found out. This policy will be bad for our country and bad for the party. “The direct consequences of that will be prime minister Corbyn.”

PA

Brexit casualties

Ben Bradley - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for young people role

July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. The Mansfield MP said: “I admit that I voted to Remain in that ballot. What has swayed me over the last two years to fully back the Brexit vision is the immense opportunities that are available from global trade, and for the ability for Britain to be an outward looking nation in control of our own destiny once again. “I fear that this agreement at Chequers damages those opportunities; that being tied to EU regulations, and the EU tying our hands when seeking to make new trade agreements, will be the worst of all worlds if we do not deliver Brexit in spirit as well as in name, then we are handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10.”

PA

Brexit casualties

Robert Courts - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role

July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. MP Mr Courts said: “I have taken a very difficult decision to resign my position as [parliamentary private secretary] to express discontent with the Chequers [plans] in votes tomorrow. “I had to think who I wanted to see in the mirror for the rest of my life. I cannot tell the people of Woxon that I support the proposals in their current form.”

Getty

Brexit casualties

Scott Mann - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role

July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. "I fear elements of the Brexit white paper will inevitably put me in direct conflict with the views expressed by a large section of my constituents. I am not prepared to compromise their wishes to deliver a watered-down Brexit. "The residents of North Cornwall made it very clear that they wish to have control over our fishery, our agricultural policy, our money, our laws and our borders. I will evaluate those principles against the Brexit white paper and ensure that I vote in line with their wishes."

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Of those, two identical adverts stressed plans for Turkey to join the EU with an image showing a large red arrow sweeping across Europe from Turkey to the UK.

The accompanying text read: "The EU is expanding and plans on granting Turkey visa-free travel. This will put enormous pressure on the NHS, our border security and economy.

"Have we lost control? We already send £350 million to the EU every single week. Shouldn't we spend our money on our priorities instead? Vote Leave Day - Thursday 23 June. Is This Good News? Click No! Vote Leave."

At the time, negotiations for Turkey to join the EU had completed one of 35 "chapters" of legislation and as a member the UK would be able to veto any plans.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, and Emmanuel Macron, president of France, have since strongly ruled out the possibility of Turkey joining the EU.

More than 30 other Vote Leave adverts, some viewed by between 500,000 and a million people, mentioned Turkey in the context of its border with Syria and Iraq. Again the images showed red arrows and figures pointing towards the UK.

"The EU is expanding and plans on granting Turkey visa-free travel making our new border Syria and Iraq!" read the accompanying text.

Another popular advert claimed more than five million "new immigrants" were heading to the UK.

The advert said: "Immigration is out of control and our NHS can barely cope as it is. If we stay in the EU we face an unprecedented migration of 5.23 MILLION new immigrants into the UK. WHEN WILL THIS STOP?

"Under EU law every EU citizen, including people from Turkey, will have unlimited access to the UK and our NHS. Let's vote to leave the EU on 23 June and take back control! Click to Save Our NHS! Vote Leave."

The figure of 5.23 million appears to be based on the highest possible projection of EU immigration to the UK by the Office for National Statistics at the time.

Three identical adverts which were seen by between two and five million people urged voters to "spend our money on our priorities like the NHS", citing the disputed £350m figure.

The text read: "The UK sends over £350 million to the EU each week - that's enough to build a fully-staffed, brand new hospital every 7 days!

"Shouldn't we spend it on OUR PRIORITIES and NOT THEIRS? Take action and vote to leave the European Union on 23 June. Let's spend our money on our priorities. Act Now & Vote Leave! Vote Leave"

As one of the figureheads of the campaign, Boris Johnson featured heavily in many of the more widely-seen adverts.

The former London Mayor, who served almost two years as foreign secretary before his recent resignation over Brexit policy, was pictured in three of the nine adverts seen by up to five million people.

In two such adverts he is quoted talking about immigration, and in a third he is pictured in front of a Vote Leave lorry with a caption urging people to vote for Brexit.

The advert read: "If you vote IN on 23 June, you are kissing goodbye permanently to control of immigration. You are voting for the current situation not only to continue but to get worse. - Boris Johnson.

"The British public support immigration but they want it controlled by those who they elect. They are generous but feel their generosity has been abused.

"They are right. On the 23 June they will get their chance to take back control. Click to Learn More! Vote Leave."

Vote Leave paid for significantly more Facebook advertisements around the EU referendum than the other campaign groups in the documents released today.

However, one advert from BeLeave published the week before the referendum was seen by more than five million people, more than any other advert released by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The advert read: "Being under EU rule is severely restricting our ability to grow and reach our full potential as a great nation. It is time we take a stand for Britain. Let's vote to leave the EU on 23 June so we can have a clear and prosperous future! BeLeave in Britain! BeLeave".

Additional reporting by Press Association

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