Political ads are embracing legal loopholes and playing dirty

Political advertising in the UK has been a largely regulated space, that us up until about a decade ago.Historically, political advertising has been banned from broadcast aside from a small allotted period of time in the run up to an election. However, as the times are-a-changin, and technology and advertising formats have evolved, political parties have found and embraced some legal loopholes. Our screens are now awash with political adverts, character attacks, and sometimes factually inaccurate messaging - created and paid for by our government and the opposition.So what does it mean now that our leaders are playing dirty? What can we expect to see in the lead up to the general election? And will this have any effect on voters, or is it just Westminster name-calling?Rachel Cunliffe, associate political editor, is joined by Jonn Elledge, journalist, author and New Statesman columnist.This episode was recorded prior to the calling of the general election last week.LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.