This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

The UK advertising watchdog has launched an investigation into the Home Office's highly controversial "Go Home or Face Arrest" campaign, after dozens of complaints that it could incite or exacerbate racial tension in some communities.

The Home Office has come in for heavy criticism for the campaign, which has seen mobile vans drive through six London boroughs carrying billboards urging illegal immigrants to return home voluntarily.

The Advertising Standards Authority has received 60 complaints from members of the public concerned that the ad is in breach of the UK advertising code because it is offensive and irresponsible.

Many of the complainants believe that the ads are "reminiscent of slogans used by racist groups to attack immigrants in the past and could incite or exacerbate racial hatred and tensions in multicultural communities".

Some of the complainants – including Labour peer Lord Lipsey, a former member of the ASA's Council – have argued that the ad campaign is misleading.

The ads make the claim "106 arrests last week in your area", which complainants believe is misleading because it implies arrest is the automatic consequence of remaining in the UK without permission.

"The government is deliberately misleading the public by aggregating figures over an area which no one would describe as theirs," he said. "If the government is to mount a campaign of this nature, it is incumbent on it to ensure that it does not exaggerate or lie, in breach of the advertising code of practice".

He added: "On the face of things, this advert falls far short of the standards insisted on by the ASA. I have accordingly asked it to rule urgently on its acceptability."

A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We can confirm that we are in contact with the Advertising Standards Authority over this investigation and will respond in due course".

The deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, has said the campaign is not a "clever" way to deal with the issue of immigration and Vince Cable, the business secretary, called it "stupid" and "offensive".

The issues raised by the ASA complainants echo concerns raised by human rights organisations, which fear that the campaign is creating a climate of fear and intolerance that threatens to put race relations back decades.

Amnesty, Refugee Action and Freedom from Torture say in a letter published in the Guardian that the campaign was a cynical ploy that would foster hostility toward minority groups.

Separately, the Information Commissioner's Office said on Friday that it intends to monitor the Home Office for a three-month period following concerns over a failure to respond quickly enough to freedom of information requests.

"We should not have to order authorities to respond to requests in time," said the information commissioner, Christopher Graham. "The government has made a clear commitment towards making the UK's public sector one of the most transparent in the world. Responding to FOI requests within the time limit of 20 working days is an important means of achieving this objective".

Failure to show signs of improvement during the monitoring period, which will run for three months to 30 September, "may result in enforcement action".

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