Search the Money, the website funded by the GMB, Unite and CWU trade unions that promises to “bring transparency to Conservative Party funding”, has made a string of untrue claims about donations made to Tory MPs. The website collates data from the Electoral Commission by constituency, attributing all of the donations on record in that constituency to the current serving MP. However, for the 2010 intake, this means that many of the alleged donations published by Search the Money actually apply to before they were even selected. Search the Money allude to this in a disclaimer on their website, admitting “it is possible that some of the money listed may pre-date new MPs having been adopted as candidates”. That’s an understatement.

Take Sam Gyimah, to whom Search the Money claim to have “found” £107,176 worth of donations. One of those donations, £1,400 from a Claire Ainsworth to the East Surrey Constituency Association, was made on April 1st 2009. That name rings a bell. Could Claire Ainsworth possibly be the wife of Peter Ainsworth, the Tory MP for East Surrey until 2010? Sam Gyimah was his successor, he wasn’t even selected until February 2010. Almost a year after that donation was made. Guido hears a host of Tory MPs are considering taking legal action against Search the Money over similar untrue claims. Oh dear…