‘Tory call-centre election script crossed the line’
AWELSH call centre working for the Tories “crossed the line” during the general election campaign, a top watchdog has ruled.
The Information Commissioner has issued a warning to the Conservative Party over the activities of Blue Telecoms, in Neath.
Police are also investigating how the call centre operated in the run-up to June’s general election.
The Information Commissioner said parts of a script used by call centre workers strayed into unlawful direct marketing.
Steve Eckersley, head of enforcement for the the Information Commissioner’s Office, said: “We’ve warned the Conservative Party to get it right next time.”
An undercover investigation by Channel 4 at the Blue Telecoms call centre in south Wales claimed the cold-call centre broke data protection and election law.
Call centre workers at the market research firm read from a script as they made thousands of calls to voters in marginal seats in the weeks leading up to the election.
But the undercover probe by Channel 4 News found the script appeared to canvass for support – which would be regulated under electoral law – rather than conducting market research – which would not.
Calls were also allegedly made on the day of the election to promote individual candidates – which could be in breach of electoral law.
The Conservative Party says the call centre was operating legally, and was carrying out legal market research and direct marketing.
The ICO said two small sections of the script, particularly those which referred to Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, “crossed the line from legitimate market research to unlawful direct marketing”.
But it stopped short of ordering enforcement action.
In a statement posted online, Mr Eckersley said: “Market research helps political parties inform their views and formulate policies. Questions about voting intentions, finding out which Prime Minister someone might prefer or generally encouraging people to go out and vote are all legitimate market research.
“However, if the questions are framed in a way to gain support – either now or at some point in the future – then that crosses the line into direct marketing. We mean things like promoting the aims and ideals of a particular party, appealing for funds, or encouraging people to vote for a particular party or candidate.
“The law protects people from this kind of marketing because it can be intrusive.”
He added: “We have been clear about what we expect in the future. We’ve warned the party that its campaigns must be rigorously checked for questions that fall outside the bounds of market research.
“And, while we did not resort to the full force of our regulatory powers in this case, we will continue to keep an eye on all political parties in the run-up to future elections and repeat our advice to them that they must comply with data protection and privacy laws when campaigning.”
A “significant” investigation by South Wales Police into the Tories’ use of the call centre is still ongoing, and has not been affected by the ICO’s decision.
In a letter to Labour MP Wayne David, South Wales Police confirmed the investigation is being carried out by its economic crime unit, which has experience in dealing with “electoral integrity investigations”.
It adds there is no timescale for the investigation because it is of “sufficient scale and significance that South Wales Police are unable to offer any specific timescale”.
“Rest assured that the officers within this department have the required specialist skills and expertise for this often challenging area of business and will act in a diligent and expeditious manner,” the letter said.