UK-based Reform Political Advertising (RPA), in conjunction with Clemenger BBDO Australia, has launched a new campaign targeting Members of Parliament, delivering a satirical ‘fake newspaper’ to Westminster highlighting the lack of regulation in UK election advertising.
All other forms of advertising in the UK are under the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority but election advertising is the only form of advertising that has no rules for factual accuracy. A commonly used tactics by parties is the creation of fake newspapers that imitate local mastheads and covertly push a political agenda.
Not only are the newspapers often not marked as being created by political parties, they are often filled with inaccurate and misleading data, opinion and stories.
As the Labour government prepares to bring forward its new Elections Bill, RPA is calling for urgent legislative updates to stop political parties from deceiving voters. The group has created ‘The Misleading Times”, a 100 per cent fabricated newspaper that is landing on the desks of MPs ahead of the Bill.
The publication, which mimics the style of the fake local newspapers, is filled with absurd stories to educate readers about the tactics used by parties, including: “Politician Rushed To Hospital After Trousers Spontaneously Combust”
Under the current UK law, election advertising is exempt from the factual standards that govern commercial advertising.
The Solution: Four Amendments Sought for the Elections Bill
Reform Political Advertising is lobbying for four specific amendments to be included in the upcoming Elections Bill to modernise Britain’s electoral laws. These amendments include: Universal Imprints, A Ban on Deceptive “Deepfakes”, A Global Ad Repository and A Code of Practice.
The last two recommendations were made by the cross-party House of Lords Democracy and Digital Technologies Committee in 2020.
Alex Tait co-founder of Reform Political Advertising said: “We created The Misleading Times to hold a mirror up to the system. It is ludicrous that in 2026, if you advertise a packet of crisps you have four sets of rules to ensure that your advertising is accurate but if you are advertising to influence a vote in an election there are none.”
“The new Elections Bill is a once in a generation opportunity to close these loopholes. We are asking MPs to see the funny side of our newspaper, but the serious side of our message: it is time to stop the rot and protect our democracy from disinformation.”
Psembi Kinstan chief creative officer at Clemenger BBDO Australia said: “We looked at every trick and tactic the political parties employ in their fake newspapers, and used them to make our point. We’re educating both the MPs and the public of the deceptions to look out for, with dozens of articles, intricately researched and crafted. Every British MP has now received this paper, and the power is in their hands to outlaw this egregiously undemocratic behaviour. ”
