Photo: Pete F / Unsplash

Weekly report · 12–18 January 2026

Plaid frames May as Reform or Plaid, while most parties stay quiet

Meta Ad Library archive · national pages of 7 parties · See every week since GE 2024

Scoreboard

Who ran what this week

PartyAds running this weekTop ad reach (lifetime)Top ad spend (lifetime)Video share, top adsMain theme
Plaid Cymru~120——70% videoReform or Plaid on 7 May
Scottish National Party~11>1M£3K-£3.5K10% videoEnergy-rich Scotland and free public services
Labour Party~7200K-250K£2K-£2.5K0% videoContrasts with Reform on public services
Reform UK~16K-7K<£1000% videoA local business event
Conservative and Unionist Party0————
Liberal Democrats0————
Green Party of England and Wales0————
Plaid Cymru

Reform or Plaid on 7 May

Ads this week~120
Top reach—
Top spend—
Video or graphic, top 10 ads7 video · 3 graphic
Plaid Cymru adGraphic
It's a two horse race in Wales. Division with Reform or new leadership with Plaid Cymru. Dim ond Plaid Cymru all stopio Reform yng Nghymru. PLAID.CYMRU Vote Plaid Cymru PLAID.CYMRU PLAID.CYMRU
Ran
5 Jan 2026 - 1 Feb 2026
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Plaid Cymru adVideo
January is when families reset the budget. So what is childcare really costing parents in Wales? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 20 hours a week of free childcare: This is what a Plaid Cymru government will make a reality for parents of chil…
Ran
5 Jan 2026 - 1 Feb 2026
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Plaid Cymru adVideo
Plaid Cymru has real plans - developed with health workers - to get to grips with the problems in our NHS and make it work for you, because Wales deserves better. Vote Plaid Cymru on 7 May. Mae Cymru yn haeddu gwell.…
Ran
17 Jan 2026 - 11 Mar 2026
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Plaid Cymru adVideo
Mae Cymru yn haeddu gwell. Mae gan Blaid Cymru gynllun i fynd i'r afael â'r problemau yn ein gwasanaeth iechyd. Mae'r dewis yn amlwg ar y 7fed o Fai. Pleidleisiwch dros Blaid Cymru Plaid Cymru has real plans - develop…
Ran
17 Dec 2025 - 1 Apr 2026
Reach
80K-90K
Spend
£100-£199
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  • “We were told things would be better with two Labour governments. With no HS2 funding, no Crown Estate powers a…”
  • “Chaos and division under Reform, or a promise to stand up for Wales under Plaid Cymru. That's the choice facin…”
  • “Reform divides communities, Plaid Cymru unites them and offers hope. May's Senedd election is a choice between…”
  • “Easing the cost of living pressures and helping parents get back to work - with 20 horus a week of childcare f…”
Method

Video ads from 16 January told viewers "Chaos and division under Reform, or a promise to stand up for Wales under Plaid Cymru" and asked them to "Vote Plaid Cymru on May 7th". Another attacked Labour over HS2 funding and Crown Estate powers. All were low-cost, so the volume reflects many small, often bilingual ads.

Scottish National Party

Energy-rich Scotland and free public services

Ads this week~11
Top reach>1M
Top spend£3K-£3.5K
Video or graphic, top 10 ads1 video · 9 graphic
Scottish National Party (SNP) adVideo
Scotland is energy rich, yet households pay some of the highest energy bills in Europe. HTTPS://WWW.SNP.ORG/ENERGY
Ran
9 Jan 2026 - 3 Mar 2026
Reach
>1M
Spend
£3K-£3.5K
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Scottish National Party (SNP) adGraphic
From early years to the classroom, we’re building a system that supports learning, eases pressure on parents, and gives every young person the chance to shine.
Ran
11 Jan 2026 - 3 Mar 2026
Reach
700K-800K
Spend
£900-£999
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Scottish National Party (SNP) adGraphic
Everyone deserves to see a doctor when they need one. We’re building a healthier and fairer Scotland that works for you.
Ran
9 Jan 2026 - 3 Feb 2026
Reach
700K-800K
Spend
£1K-£1.5K
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Scottish National Party (SNP) adGraphic
Labour introduced tuition fees at Westminster - but in Scotland, the SNP keeps university free so your future depends on talent, not your family income.
Ran
11 Jan 2026 - 3 Feb 2026
Reach
450K-500K
Spend
£1K-£1.5K
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  • “🥀Whilst Labour closed Glenwood Library, it was the SNP that ensured a new community hub was included in regene…”
  • “🩺 Everyone deserves to see a doctor when they need one. We’re building a healthier and fairer Scotland that wo…”
  • “🚆The SNP has put more money back in your pocket by scrapping peak rail fares. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 As the SNP government ke…”
  • “🥶 Scotland is energy rich, yet households pay some of the highest energy bills in Europe.”
Method

A new set of ads from 9–11 January carried the page's spend: energy bills (over a million impressions), GP access, education, and free tuition contrasted with "tuition fees at Westminster" under Labour. Small-budget versions linked to a survey, and a local ad contrasted Labour's library closure with an SNP community hub.

Labour Party

Contrasts with Reform on public services

Ads this week~7
Top reach200K-250K
Top spend£2K-£2.5K
Video or graphic, top 7 ads0 video · 7 graphic
The Labour Party adGraphic
Labour is bringing down waiting lists, helping to end the 8am scramble by hiring more GPs and delivering 5,000,000 extra NHS appointments. Reform wants you to pay for your care. If you believe in an NHS that’s properl…
Ran
9 Dec 2025 - 24 Feb 2026
Reach
200K-250K
Spend
£2K-£2.5K
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The Labour Party adGraphic
Labour is delivering the biggest investment in homegrown clean power in Britain’s history - helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and securing our energy independence for the future. Nigel Farage would scrap…
Ran
9 Dec 2025 - 24 Feb 2026
Reach
90K-100K
Spend
£800-£899
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The Labour Party adGraphic
Labour is delivering the biggest investment in homegrown clean power in Britain’s history - helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and securing our energy independence for the future. Nigel Farage would scrap…
Ran
9 Dec 2025 - 25 Feb 2026
Reach
60K-70K
Spend
£500-£599
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The Labour Party adGraphic
No child should start the school day hungry. This Labour government is rolling out free breakfast clubs, saving parents £450 a year and making sure children are fuelled and ready to learn.
Ran
9 Jan 2026 - 16 Jan 2026
Reach
30K-35K
Spend
£100-£199
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  • “We’re rolling out free breakfast clubs across primary schools so ever children starts their school day ready t…”
  • “Labour is bringing down waiting lists, helping to end the 8am scramble by hiring more GPs and delivering 5,000…”
  • “Reform are not on the side of workers.”
Method

Images from December continued at low spend, saying "Reform wants you to pay for your care" and that "Nigel Farage's Reform voted against free breakfast clubs". A new breakfast clubs ad from 9 January claimed savings of "£450 a year" for parents.

Reform UK

A local business event

Ads this week~1
Top reach6K-7K
Top spend<£100
Video or graphic, top 1 ads0 video · 1 graphic
Reform UK adGraphic
Do you run a business? You’re invited to my Clacton Business Forum event on January 24th. Click the link to find out more. ⬇️ EVENTBRITE.COM Clacton Business Surgery
Ran
13 Jan 2026 - 18 Jan 2026
Reach
6K-7K
Spend
<£100
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Method

One ad, under £100, invited business owners to a "Clacton Business Forum event on January 24th" via an Eventbrite link. It was local organising, not a national campaign.

Someone scrolling on a smartphone
Photo: Priscilla Du Preez / Unsplash
What changed

What this week tells us

  • Plaid's "Reform or Plaid" videos started on 16 January, explicitly naming 7 May.
  • The SNP's January set of ads, led by the energy-bills video, started here and ran into March.
  • The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens ran no ads in this window.