Tories planned for app to make party millions

Senior Conservative party officials worked on plans to hand over its entire membership database for a commercial venture that promised to make tens of millions of pounds, the Guardian can reveal.

- Tom Burgis Henry Dyer

Leaked documents show Tory executives discussed exploiting members' personal data to build a mobile phone app that could track users' locations and allow big brands to advertise to party supporters. The party would take a cut of sales.

The project was considered over several months last year, with the aim of launching the "True Blue" app in time for the party's conference in October.

The idea was developed by the boss of a cryptocurrency firm with a number of failed businesses behind him. Yet senior Conservative officials appeared so captivated by the plan that they prepared to provide the party's database of members in order to move the proposal forward.

The True Blue project aimed to provide the party with direct access to its members in order to "boost donations" through digital payments, design "bespoke messaging" based on demographics, and "maximise" voter turnout by directing members to polling stations and issuing a voter identity card.

However, it is the proposed commercialisation of members' data that will be a cause for concern to some party supporters.

A presentation document - illustrated with pictures of Rishi Sunak - outlined a plan whereby brands such as Amazon and Coca-Cola could advertise to party members. The presentation suggested the app would let companies "geo-market" products based on a user's location, with the party taking a share of any resulting sales.

A Conservative spokesperson said the app "did not progress beyond the pitch stage". But emails seen by the Guardian reveal officials worked through last summer on the project, tailoring the proposed app's content and requesting paperwork, including a draft contract.