‘He [Sadiq Khan]’s had over 100 teenagers murdered on the streets of London’ does not appear to be accurate according to Met Police data and by the BBC
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Taking advantage of the rules (the ones they wrote) In Uxbridge and Ruislip, of all places.

26th July 2023
The recent Conservative party retention of Uxbridge and Ruislip was generally attributed to their anti-ULEZ campaign. The campaign took many forms; one of the most significant was the imaginatively named ‘Stop Ulez Times,’ which looks like doing what it said on its ‘tin’: stopping ULEZ. It als…

Ping pong with the Lib Dems in Somerton and Frome

19th July 2023
This note sets out our views on the issue that has become something of an online debate after our tweet that we regarded the Lib Dem letter to voters in Somerton and Frome as a ‘terrible’ campaign.  To those who may have missed this edifying exchange, a reference to the campaign material…

Our review of the 2023 local elections “Lies, Defamation, Deceit and Incompetence”

5th May 2023
You can download for free our fourth review of electoral advertising below. If the type seems a little heavier and the tone a little angrier, it’s because the keyboard is being hit a little harder and the writers are indeed a little madder. Reform Political Advertising is a non-profit, political…

We need your help to continue our campaign to prevent lies in electoral advertising.

4th May 2023
The public are hungry for change. They want to see politicians turn the page on months of dishonesty and deception. Our proposal – to properly regulate electoral ads – offers them a way to do that. And recently we have taken some huge strides towards this goal.  We’ve made significa…

Lord Puttnam’s statement on the 2023 local elections

4th May 2023
Lord Puttnam has again voiced his deep concern over the lack of regulation for electoral advertising and its effect on our democracy. He stated: “my own view is that unless electoral advertising is regulated, we are badly risking the future of plural democracy.  It seems to be a simple choi…

The Green Party offers to sign an ad code of conduct ahead of the general election

1st May 2023
We are delighted in the leadership being shown by Carla Denyer and The Green Party of England and Wales today to prevent lies in electoral advertising.  “I say to the leaders of the other political parties what if we all signed up to a code of conduct where we pledged factual accuracy in elect…

Our letter in The Times today

20th April 2023
We’ve had a letter published in The Times today. For those without a subscription you can read it below. “Sir,  Daniel Finkelstein’s article “Divisive political ads are just getting started” (Apr 19)  was a heart-warming read for  those of us who have spent years campaigning for the …

Ad hominem, ad regulatus

10th April 2023
Recent Labour party advertising, in particular – to paraphrase – Rishi Sunak protects paedophiles from prison – has attracted much commentary and most of it focused on the subject matter of child sexual assault, the ‘ad hominem’ nature of the approach, its credibility and the disse…

The threat of generative AI to our democracy

8th April 2023
Generative AI is already having a profound and lasting effect on the advertising industry and political advertising is by no means exempt. My outlook about its impact on “normal” advertising is positive. The possibilities are exciting. But I am filled with total dread about what’s to come as t…

If the advertising is duplicitous, what does that make the advertiser?

21st March 2023
No prizes for the correct answer. Perhaps this shabby impersonation of a respected local paper is no surprise: for decades, politicians have been ripping off their local news services and burying their names in tiny type under a heap of dubious or outright untrue claims while wrapping themselve…

Listen to our parliamentary event discussing the topic of “honesty in politics”

8th March 2023
We held a parliamentary event with the APPG Compassion In Politics this week titled “Honesty in politics. What is it and how do we get it?”. Taking part in the panel discussion was Debbie Abrahams MP, Gina Miller, Jennifer Nadel and Lord Puttnam who joined virtually. You can listen to Lord P…

Join our virtual parliamentary event on Tuesday 7th March at 3pm

2nd March 2023
UK politics is suffering from a dishonesty crisis. Repeated mistruths and misrepresentations have led to the corruption of standards and the withering of basic ethics and honesty. This in turn has fuelled the escalating disengagement of the public from the political process.This panel discussion wil…

Labour isn’t backing.

10th November 2022
The tweet from the Conservative party (tweets are subject to regulation for most advertisers, incidentally), which includes the claim that ‘Labour are backing the strikers’ is the kind of unfounded assertion that wouldn’t survive in a commercial arena but which continues to be permitted in thi…

We’ve complained to the ASA about recent government advertising.

9th October 2022
Misleading political ads that aren’t deemed electoral are in the scope of the ASA. So we’ve decided to complain about this one. The fact we can highlights the gaping hole in regulation for electoral ads which you can’t complain to anyone about! You can read it below. We’ll keep you posted as t…

Greenwashing: banned for business, permitted for politicians

29th September 2022
Probably not the best advertising in the world, ‘greenwashing’ – deceptive environmental marketing – is very much in the regulators’ sights. Only recently, the ASA have ruled against Unilever, Tesco and Innocent Drinks, no less. And the government’s own statutory authority the Competition an…

We need your help to continue our campaign to prevent lies in electoral advertising.

25th September 2022
The public are hungry for change. They want to see politicians turn the page on months of dishonesty and deception. Our proposal – to properly regulate electoral ads – offers them a way to do that. And in the in last year we have taken some huge strides towards this goal.  We’ve made si…