Rishi Sunak asked to correct record in Parliament – after saying the Tories ‘follow all laws’
As Rishi Sunak distances himself from the intense spotlight of heading the Conservative Party, he can't simply ignore the issues at hand. He is currently under both political and legal scrutiny to promptly address statements he made in Parliament earlier this year.
In January, the Conservative Party shared a link to their website that let individuals check how changes to National Insurance impacted their financial situation. Unfortunately, this tool ended up unlawfully collecting users' data and placing unwanted cookies on their devices.
Labour MP Dawn Butler confronted Rishi Sunak about this matter, to which he casually replied, "Our party adheres to all laws." However, an inquiry conducted by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) determined that this website DID break British data regulations.
Last week, Butler reached out to Mr. Sunak, urging him to quickly address inaccuracies in the Parliamentary record and acknowledge that his party mishandled their security measures. She also mentioned that she is open to exploring other ways to obtain the needed correction.
A recent investigation has found that the Conservative Party broke data protection laws with an online tool on their website, which has now been removed. The tool was supposed to help users monitor updates to their National Insurance.
"Are you ready to take immediate action to fix the records in Parliament? If not, I may need to explore other ways to have this corrected. I sincerely hope you choose to set an example and take the necessary steps to address this issue." | Dawn Butler
The Good Law Project has also taken notice of the situation. Over the weekend, they described the Conservative Party's actions as harmful to democratic principles. They joined others in urging the former Prime Minister to exercise caution.
“Following the former prime minister's arrogant dismissal, we brought this data breach to the attention of the regulator. As elections become more focused on the internet, the misuse of data by political parties poses a threat to our democratic process.”
"We will keep highlighting this issue whenever it arises. However, when politicians make mistakes during important discussions, they should acknowledge them. It's time for Sunak to address parliament and be honest about it." | Good Law Project
