Call for judge-led inquiry into Brexit campaign

Demand from Labour MP following revelations that law was broken

A judge-led inquiry into the Brexit campaign should be launched in light of fines levied and criminal investigations into key referendum players, ministers have been told.

The call comes after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) revealed that Facebook broke the law by failing to safeguard people’s information and failing to be transparent about how people’s data was harvested by others.

The ICO also said it proposes to bring criminal action against SCL Elections, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica.

Labour MP Darren Jones, raising the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions, said: “The Information Commissioner has fined Facebook for its involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the Electoral Commission has concluded that the Leave campaign broke electoral law.

“Is now not the time to set up a judgeled inquiry into the referendum, because if the British people have been duped by Brexit shysters they deserve to know.”

Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington replied: “The government will want to consider the report and its recommendations in detail before responding. But the point he made focused upon the possibility of criminal offences having been committed.

“It is not for ministers either to initiate or to stop criminal investigations or potential prosecutions where there is evidence that should be drawn to the attention of the police and the prosecuting authorities.”