Clegg told to stop 'annoying' calls

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has been ordered to stop plaguing voters after a cold-calling blitz.

He used an automated system pioneered by Barack Obama to contact 250,000 people after his speech to his party's annual rally in Bournemouth last week.

But the data watchdog ordered Mr Clegg not to make "annoying and intrusive" calls after receiving a string of complaints about the calls on Wednesday.

An automated 30-second message from Mr Clegg was played during the early evening calls, with recipients tapping numbers on their handsets to respond to questions about education, health, tax, crime, environmental and economic policies.

But the Information Commissioner's Office ordered the Lib-Dems to stop the calls or face prosecution after being found to have breached privacy rules.

Information Commissioner Richard Thomas issued an enforcement notice after deciding that the calls were "direct marketing", seeking to promote the Lib-Dems.