Rejected petition Data quoted as facts in political ads must be supported by documentary evidence

The EU referendum campaign was marred by misleading presentation of data, most notably the "£350m a week paid to the EU" which the ONS publicly refuted. There should be a requirement that data presented as fact should be capable of objective verification, and this should be enforced independently.

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The Code of Advertising Practice says "marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation" and "no marketing communication should mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise". The FCA requires adverts for financial products to be "clear, fair and not misleading". Similar rules should apply to political advertising where factual claims are being made.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

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https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/154617

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Date submitted 25 June 2016
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