The ECHR has overturned similar bans in Norway and Switzerland. Jacob Rowbottom, a fellow in constitutional law at University College, Oxford, said: “It seems very likely that they will find the complete blanket ban on paid political advertising to violate [freedom of expression].”
The Tory MP George Eustice, who has called for changes in the political broadcast systems, said: “We do have some of the most draconian restrictions on broadcast political advertising in the free world. It shouldn’t be beyond the wit of man to improve the situation beyond what it is now but also maintain safeguards so that you didn’t have a system where cheque books buy access to the broadcast medium.”The former solicitor general Sir Edward Garnier agreed: “We would be uncomfortable in England filling up our screens with aggressive political campaign advertising. You could say it’s a restriction of free speech, but it’s one the British are prepared to tolerate to keep political advertising off their screens.”
