Watchdog rules Tories 'crossed the line' with election phone marketing campaign
2 min read
The Conservatives have been slapped on the wrist by an official watchdog over unlawful campaign tactics used by a call centre ahead of the June general election.
Two sections of a phone script used to gather market research for the party “crossed the line” into canvassing support, the Information Commissioner’s Office said.
But the watchdog stopped short of imposing a formal punishment on the party because “the overall campaign was genuine market research”.
An investigation was launched after it emerged the Tories used a market research firm to make thousands of calls to voters in marginal seats in the run-up to the June vote.
A Channel 4 sting uncovered evidence that the company - operating from a call centre in Neath, South Wales - was straying into campaigning rather than simple data collection.
In his verdict, head of Enforcement at the ICO Steve Eckersley said two paragraphs discussing the policy choices of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn “fell outside the bounds” of market research.
“We’ve found that two small sections of the written scripts used by those making the calls crossed the line from legitimate market research to unlawful direct marketing,” he said.
“We’ve warned the Conservative Party to get it right next time.”
He added: “We’ve stopped short of formal regulatory action because the overall campaign was genuine market research.
“The two sections we had concerns about were not enough to trigger formal enforcement action when considered along with the campaign as a whole.”
“In addition, the results of the survey were not saved against any individual so they could not be targeted for future marketing.
“But we have been clear about what we expect in the future.”
A separate investigation into the call centre campaigning is being conducted by South Wales police.
A Labour spokesperson told PoliticsHome: "We can't comment on an ongoing police investigation."
Meanwhile a court case involving South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay is ongoing regarding expenses breaches in the 2015 Tory campaign.
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