Better election rules? There’s no app for that

THE revelations of the past week have shown that the rules which govern elections and referendums are hopelessly out of date. They have just about caught up with the invention of television, but they have almost nothing to say about the huge impact of the internet and social media.

We can be confident that there is a lot more to come out about the use of personal data in campaigning. For some time, the big parties have used incredibly detailed targeting of individual voters to win support in tight contests in marginal seats, while the official campaign rages in the background.

And the boundary between legitimately obtained information and improperly harvested personal matters is often, to say the least, blurred.

At the same time, it is quite clear from new disclosures about funding during the EU referendum campaign that some of those involved were sailing very close to the wind.

There is no point in trying to unravel these past contests, and in fact it would be wrong to do so. All serious politicians recognise that a point comes where results must be accepted and life must continue.

But there is every reason to ensure that future polls are conducted to the highest possible standards. The Electoral Commission needs to formulate clear and unambiguous rules about what is and is not allowed, and to hire staff knowledgeable in the ways of social media, and in the use and abuse of personal data, who can monitor and enforce compliance with these rules.

It is also clear that, should we ever have another referendum, we need to re-examine the regulations for such contests. Parliament should debate the matter and give a clear mandate to the Commission for action on both these matters, as soon as possible.