Doctors will be banned from sending unsolicited coronavirus warnings to patients under EU rules still set to become law in the UK despite Brexit
- Public bodies face fines of up to £17million by Brussels if they send messages
- The plans are part of a new statutory code of practice for direct marketing
- Council tax bills would also rise because authorities would be forced to print
Doctors will be banned from warning patients about the risks of coronavirus under EU rules that are set to become law in Britain despite Brexit.
Public bodies face being fined up to £17million by Brussels if they send unsolicited messages by text or email – even as part of a public health campaign.
The plan has caused fury in Downing Street because of the role of UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, who is working to put EU data protection laws into a statutory code that the Government would have no power to amend.
Doctors will be banned from warning patients about the risks of coronavirus under EU rules that are set to become law in Britain despite Brexit (stock image)
One senior Government source last night described Ms Denham as an ‘unelected anti-Brexit pen-pusher’.
The plans have been drawn up as part of a consultation by Ms Denham on a new statutory code of practice for direct marketing that will enact EU data protection and e-privacy regulations.
No 10 advisers say that if the code becomes law, health campaigns would be ineffective because the public would be forced to ‘opt in’ to receive advice by email or text on health threats such as the potentially fatal coronavirus.
Council tax bills would also rise because local authorities would be forced to print leaflets to publicise services such as bin collections.
Under the code, GPs would be banned from sending text messages to patients giving even simple information such as: ‘Our flu clinic is now open. If you would like a flu vaccination please call the surgery to make an appointment.’
The plan has caused fury in Downing Street because of the role of UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham (pictured), who is working to put EU data protection laws into a statutory code that the Government would have no power to amend
Ms Denham, whose salary and pension benefits come to nearly £245,000 a year, investigated the use of data by Leave campaigners, including Boris Johnson’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings in the 2016 referendum campaign, but found no evidence of wrongdoing.
She once said: ‘I don’t think Brexit should mean Brexit when it comes to standards of data protection.’
Conservative MP Ben Bradley told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We have the left the European Union, but anti-Brexit quangos are continuing to gold-plate EU laws.
‘Such bonkers rules threaten to put public safety at risk by undermining vital anti-flu and coronavirus campaigns.
‘Even town halls giving advice on your next bin collection might be banned under these bully-boy diktats.
‘Given that we have waved goodbye to the EU, we should be cutting back its reams of red tape, not adding to it.’