Tory MP Mundell outspent all other candidates combined to keep his seat – but by how much?
![David Mundell at a polling place, during last year's general election [Image: The Herald].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/160527-David-Mundell-1.jpg)
David Mundell at a polling place, during last year’s general election [Image: The Herald].
In that case, he seems a perfect candidate for an election expenses investigation.
Is anybody looking into his returns?
Scotland’S only Tory MP was forced to spend more than all his election rivals put together in order to hold on to his seat, it has emerged.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell spent almost 90 per cent of the legal maximum to defend his Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency.
Official election returns show Mundell splashed £46,843 on his campaign between December and May, more than three times as much as his SNP challenger, Emma Harper.
Just over £20,000 went on “unsolicited material to electors”, campaign jargon for bumf through the letterbox, while another £3500 went on a dedicated campaign manager.
Scotland’s only Tory MP before the election, Mundell benefitted from a massive effort by the party high command to save his seat and avoid another Conservative wipeout in Scotland.
Tory HQ in Edinburgh bankrolled the vast majority of his campaign, giving just under £39,000 in cash and services, including £14,700 to post 42,000 leaflets in March.
At the end of the splurge, Mundell’s majority slumped from 4194 to 798, although he did manage to increase his share of the vote by 1.8 per cent to 39.8 per cent.
Source: Tory MP Mundell outspent all other candidates combined to keep his seat (From Herald Scotland)
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I agree Mike. If the Tories down south are being fingered for the battlebuses, the same should happen to this excuse of a Scotsman. The only (very small) advantage of him keeping his seat is that we actually have a Scottish MP as Scottish Secretary, rather than some random Tory Englishman. Mind you, there probably isn’t much difference since he acts purely for his Tory masters, rather than showing any real interest in Scottish matters.
As does the Tory who was installed in Brecon and Radnorshire.
Well, here’s a nice snippet for you, to show that someone is on this already: Apparently his claim for transport costs is £0.00.
Does that seem likely?
You have to laugh! They must think we are imbeciles if they expect us to believe that! Not even a claim for a stamp or a paper clip? Whoever heard of a Tory MP using his OWN money on campaigns? Lol.
Even if he’s walked or cycled everywhere (unlikely, to say the least) there would be some expense in shoes or tyres.
So it’s simply not credible, and his return is clearly fraudulent.
Give the (lack of) size of his majority, it looks like another stolen seat, that should be up for a by-election without delay.
I don’t know where to find his claims but he certainly travels about a lot and he’s not the sort to pay for anything he can get someone else to pay for. In previous elections he claimed vast sums for fancy cameras to have photos taken of himself as he scooted round the country full of his own (non) importance.
He was actually investigated by the police here for campaign over-spend in the 2010 GE. He’s a lovely man, one who cameout in the commons stating that cuts in welfare would have no effect on child poverty.
We at Applied I F Ltd are looking into another aspect of the May 2015 general election i.e. alleged vote rigging in all four home countries. But thanks for the heads up. This constituency now deserves a closer look.