Labour cold calls are marketing

In a ruling that could have important con-sequences for campaigning in the forthcoming election, the ICO has served an enforcement notice on the Labour Party for breaching PECR on unsolicited telephone calls. Nearly half a million automated messages, using the voice of actress Liz Dawn, were made to numbers on commercial lists in Summer 2009.

David Smith, deputy commissioner at the ICO, says: “The ICO has consistently made clear that the promotion of a political party counts as marketing. We have previously issued detailed guidance to all major political parties on this subject. The fact that the calls were targeted at what were believed to be Labour supporting areas confirmed our view that they were designed to promote the Labour Party’s electoral cause by encouraging Labour supporters to vote.”