Vera: "Ta-ra chuck, And mind and vote Labour now."
In a judgement sure to be the talk of Weatherfield, actress Liz Dawn better known as Coronation Street’s Vera Duckworth has found herself caught up in a legal row involving the Labour Party’s use of automated phone calls, nicknamed “robocalls in the US.”
Longstanding Labour supporter Dawn’s voice featured on automated recordings made in 2007 which were then directly targeted at people living in Labour strongholds urging them to vote in local and European elections.
Nearly 500,000 people were targeted without their consent in what the information watchdog says was a clear breach of privacy rules.
Labour were warned by the Information Commissioners Office not to use the recordings as far back as 2007. But following more complaints in 2009 an enforcement notice has now been served on the party.
The commissioner's office said Labour had breached privacy and electronic communication regulations that ban automated direct marketing calls to anyone who has not consented to receive them.
Deputy information commissioner David Smith said all the major parties had been told that any promotion counted as direct marketing. Yet despite the warning Labour continued the practice. Smith added: "The fact that the calls were targeted at what were believed to be Labour-supporting areas confirmed our view that they were designed to promote the Labour Party's electoral cause by encouraging Labour supporters to vote."
In 2005 the ICO issued the main political parties with "updated guidance" about their obligations under the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
Since then the SNP, Conservatives and Liberals have all had similar notices enforced on them, and an SNP spokesman expressed his anger at the time it had taken for the Labour party to fall into line.
The SNP, who were criticised for using Sean Connery’s voice for similar “robocalls” made one of the complaints against Labour in 2009 that have now been upheld by the ICO.
Labour has 28 days to appeal the ruling. A spokesman for the party said they would be examining the guidelines. Failure to comply could see Labour Party face prosecution.
70 year-old Liz played Coronation Street battleaxe Vera Duckworth, one of the soaps longest serving and most popular characters, for 34 years before finally leaving the Street in 2008.
