Political leaders are being urged to stop the use of “attack ads” amid concerns they are “eroding trust, stoking fear and increasing hate”.
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Davey, democracy campaigners condemned attempts to “spread spurious accusations about the character and conduct” of their rivals in the run-up to the local elections.
It pointed to Labour’s recent ad suggesting the prime minister did not want to see sex offenders jailed, saying these tactics “serve only to poison the water that we must all drink from”.
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The letter, seen by Sky News, said: “These attack ads legitimise the use of inflammatory language and give fuel to the anger, hate, and intolerance many people feel towards their representatives.
“After two sitting MPs have been murdered in the past seven years and many members have reported routinely receiving death threats, this kind of language is grossly irresponsible.”
The letter was written by Compassion in Politics and signed by dozens of academics and political figures, including Labour peer Baroness Ruth Lister, former Lib Dem MP Tom Brake, author Neal Lawson and Handforth Parish Council’s viral chief officer Jackie Weaver.
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Polling by the campaign group found that two-thirds of the public don’t trust what politicians say and half of the public saw their trust in politicians fall in the twelve months to April 2022.
They warned tactics such as inaccurate claims and false identities in campaign advertising “will only accelerate the decline of public faith”.
Meanwhile, fear-based messages create “a sense of threat and danger” which “limits our reciprocity to new ideas… and our faith in the possibility of change or improvement”.
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The signatories called on the three political leaders to cease attack ads and agree to campaign with “respect and compassion”, warning the current political climate is an impediment to the “constructive consensus” required to tackle the challenges the country faces.
“These kinds of adverts – which erode trust, increase hate, and stoke fear – make doing the possible virtually impossible.
“At a time when we face a climate crisis, worsening inequality, and increasing intolerance we need informed and constructive debate.”
The letter comes after the Labour Party launched a series of “attack ads” taking aim at Rishi Sunak over his stance on gun crime, sexual assault perpetrators and his personal tax status.
The party has argued it’s “absolutely right“ to hold the government to account after claims of “gutter politics”.
The Tories have attempted to turn the table recently, with attacks on Sir Keir Starmer’s record as Director of Public Prosecutions.
However, this style of tactic isn’t new, with some calling for stronger legislation to end “deceptive” practices before the next general election.
