Labour rebuked for calls voiced by ex-'Corrie' star

THE BRITISH Labour Party has been rebuked after it called 500,000 voters without permission, despite being repeatedly warned by regulators that it should not make such calls without permission.

Former Coronation Street star Liz Dawn, who played the character of Vera Duckworth until 2008, recorded the message used in the automated telephone calls in 2007 and again in 2009.

The so-called “robocalls” were targeted at likely Labour Party voters and prompted a number of complaints from members of the public to the information commissioner’s office when they were first made in July 2007. Labour apologised to the regulator, but it later emerged that the party used the actor to record another message to encourage voters to support the party in the June 2009 local and European elections.

The Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Nationalist Party have all been disciplined in the past for similar conduct, but other parties complain that Labour has been treated more leniently.

“Automated calls can cause annoyance and disruption, which is why it is so important for organisations making such calls to gain the consent of individuals,” said deputy information commissioner David Smith.

Labour has been ordered to ensure no more such calls are made without the consent of the person being called, with failure to comply being a criminal offence that could lead to prosecution.