ASA chairman, Lord Christopher Smith believes that political ads should be held accountable
Misleading political claims should be held to account the outgoing chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Lord Christopher Smith has said following some of the false promises made during the recent EU referendum.
the Brexit Bus NHS claim
During an interview with The Independent, Lord Smith, who backed the remain side, claimed that UK citizens wanted the chance to vote again, especially upon learning that political claims by the Leave campaign, not least that the NHS would receive an extra £225m a week should Britain leave the EU, were not accurate.
In his calls for political claims to be somehow regulated, he added that a government body should be deployed to independently verify all claims, however he admitted that he didn't believe the polticial system would adopt such a measure.
“None of the political parties will buy in to a regulatory system,” he added, something that the ASA depended upon.
Meanwhile, writing for The Drum earlier spoke with ASA's chief executive promoted the orgainsation, explaining that it existed in order to make UK ads responsible.
He said: "Let me dispel any perception that we’re anti-industry or enjoy banning ads. We’re not and we don’t. We love responsible ads that entertain and inform (the good ones, at least!). Responsible ads are good for people, society and business. They give us choice and deliver value.
They fund the media, sport and culture we enjoy. They can be a direct force for social good, encouraging us to contribute to good causes and put our seatbelts on. And they help power the economy. We want to create an environment in which responsible ads can flourish."
The ASA previously did check some claims made by politicians in broadcast advertising until 1999 when the process was abandoned due to a lack of political backing.