... as Lib Dems are probed for ‘selling members’ details to Remain for £100k’

THE Liberal Democrats have denied claims that they sold the personal data of party members to the Remain campaign for £100,000.

The Information Commissioner’s Officer ( ICO) is investigating how Britain Stronger in Europe handled personal data, including the electoral roll.

In a report yesterday, the data protection watchdog said it was looking into how the group, which rebranded as Open Britain after the referendum, worked with the Liberal Democrats. It said: ‘During the course of our investigation, we obtained information that the Liberal Democrats had sold the personal data of its party members to Britain Stronger in Europe for approximately £100,000.

‘Both the Liberal Democrats and Open Britain denied that party members’ personal data had been sold.

‘Instead, both confirmed that the In Campaign bought electoral register information from the Liberal Democrats. We are still looking at how the Remain side of the referendum campaign handled personal data, including the electoral roll, and will be considering whether there are any breaches of data protection or electoral law requiring further action.’

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said last night: ‘During the 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union, we shared electoral register data as supplied by the local authorities with Britain Stronger in Europe. No data controlled by the Liberal Democrats was included in this project.’

The spokesman added: ‘We have guidance from the Electoral Commission that it is allowed for an organisation to share the electoral register with another organisation that is entitled to the electoral purposes register, in their own right.’