Political parties will have to declare all advertisements they place on social media under proposals being drawn up by No 10.
The government wants to introduce a “digital imprint” that gives voters more details about the sources behind online campaigns.
At present printed campaign material such as leaflets and posters must declare the source of its funding, but no such rules exist for online advertising. The proportion of political advertising funds spent online was almost 43 per cent in 2017, according to the Electoral Commission.
Chloe Smith, minister for the constitution and devolution, said that a consultation being launched today is “a big step forward towards making UK politics even more transparent and would lead to one of the most comprehensive set of regulations
