Shadow minister attacks ad restrictions

Shadow Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has urged the advertising industry to “start fighting back” against any further threat of advertising restrictions.

Speaking on “The Future of public service media content” at the ISBA annual conference, Whittingdale said that advertising helps to “inform and educate the consumers” and any further advertising restrictions will not help make a “better society”.

The Tory chairman for House of Commons, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, added that an absolute ban on junk food was unnecessary and instead championed the already existing voluntary code.

He was also concerned about the damaging effect of the recent restrictions on advertising junk food to children. “It will mean that fewer children’s programmes will be produced, and instead will fuel the growth of Japanese or American-generated content.

“The restrictions are also unlikely to suddenly make our kids healthy. I can predict that in years to come these restrictions won’t work.”