Challenge
Somehow, political advertising is currently free to make wild and unsubstantiated claims.
This is because shockingly, unlike consumer advertising, campaign material in the UK isn’t regulated. There’s nowhere to complain to if you come across a dishonest political ad. And with no regulator or body responsible, nobody has the power to remove political advertising that is misleading. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica crisis and Boris’ infamous NHS bus claims, it’s clear that reform is needed.
A new non-partisan group titled The Coalition For Reform In Political Advertising has been formed to tackle this growing problem. Ultimately, the coalition aims to call on parliament to implement a four-point plan to improve the transparency around political ads.
But for there to be change, we need the political parties to agree to it. And the only way that is going to happen is by showing them that the public demands it.