Labour breached the Electoral Finance Act again, today

Thousands get e-mails with a link to the "two Johns" video

Labour breached the Electoral Finance Act again today by sending unsolicited emails to many thousands of in boxes this evening. The email had a link to a Labour Party website which has the "two Johns" advertisement that was censured by the Advertising Standards Authority and removed from YouTube.

The e-mail, which had a false residential address of Mike Smith as its authorisation statement, was sent through the Smile City database.This database is a a rewards loyalty programme where subscribers give SmileCity express permission to send email offers, for which reward points can be earned. Its privacy policy says that information provided is only used by SmileCity to send appropriate reward mail and surveys.

But if you click on the designated button after you've read the Clark letter, you earn five points. You also end up at the Labour08 website that is also authorised by Mike Smith - except he now lives somewhere else. There are other links to the Labour site as well including this one which has the "two johns" video.

So not only has Labour encouraged Smile City to arrange letters asking subscribers to vote Labour and visit its website, its breached its own Electoral Finance Act as well due to the advertisement's false residential address. It is also arguable that the e-mail was not appropriate reward mail, and if that's so it is unsolicited, despite the ability to earn points, and Labour has encouraged SmileCity to breach its own privacy provisions as well.

I have a copy of the email and can send it to anyone on request.