Reform UK has been warned by legal and data experts that its competition offering free energy bills for a year may breach data protection laws. The lottery, announced by Nigel Farage on Tuesday, asks entrants to disclose their voting history and future intentions alongside personal details, raising transparency concerns.
Mariano delli Santi of the Open Rights Group said the party is not being clear about how it will use the sensitive data collected, calling it a potential breach of UK data protection law. He urged the Information Commissioner's Office to investigate political parties exploiting data in this way.
Privacy barrister Eleonor Duhs noted that political opinions are a special category of data under UK GDPR, requiring a restrictive basis for processing. She questioned why voting intentions are needed for a raffle, suggesting this goes beyond the stated purpose.
A second lawyer, speaking anonymously, highlighted the principle of data minimisation, arguing that Reform should only collect data necessary for the prize draw. The party's entry form asks for political party preferences, which may not be essential.
Reform UK defended the competition, stating it is fully legal and complies with electoral laws. A spokesperson said the party is serious about cutting energy bills, and Robert Jenrick, the economic spokesperson, promised to pay the winner's and their street's energy bills for a year.
The ICO said it is in regular contact with political parties about data use and urged concerned individuals to raise issues with the party or file a complaint.
