Election counts
Michael Bloomberg — the ninth richest person in America — entered the US presidential race by buying $34 million (£26 million) worth of advertising just to launch his campaign. How does that compare with what British political parties are allowed to spend in the general election?
— In Britain, each party is allowed to spend, centrally, £30,000 for each constituency fought. With 650 constituencies, this amounts to a maximum of £19.5 million.
— In addition, individual candidates can spend £8,700 plus 6p per voter (in urban boroughs) or 9p per voter (in county constituencies).
— Put the two together and it means there is an effective maximum level of spending of just under £30 million per party.
— In the US, there are limits on individual donations but no limit on overall spend. In 2016, Hillary Clinton spent approximately $800 million and Donald Trump around $400 million.
Cost of caring
The Conservative party’s manifesto failed to include an expected policy for funding long-term care.
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