Did Virgin Trains break the law by releasing CCTV footage of Jeremy Corbyn?

Last Updated: August 23, 2016By
Sometimes public transport offers you no choice but to stand.

Sometimes public transport offers you no choice but to stand.

Everybody has been getting so thoroughly animated about whether Jeremy Corbyn could have had a seat on a Virgin Train that they appear to have missed a fundamental aspect of the story.

Virgin broke the law when it released CCTV footage which it claimed showed Mr Corbyn walking past empty seats to sit on the floor.

Steve Walker was quicker than This Writer to produce an article about this, so I’ll hand over to him:

There is another key question to address: that Virgin may have broken data protection laws in apparent eagerness to protect their commercial interests by making a politician who is unashamedly on record as wanting to re-nationalise a key money-spinner [look like a liar].

There’s nothing whatever in the rules that states a company can release CCTV of an identifiable person in order to shore up their commercial reputation that might be damaged by revelations of over-full trains (although Corbyn only talks about general overcrowding issues, not Virgin’s).

By releasing it online and to the BBC so that the BBC can use it for entertainment – which BBC News undoubtedly is – both organisations appear to have contravened the ICO’s specific prohibition, since the BBC is evidently not protecting Corbyn’s identity as adherence to the Data Protection Act requires.

You can read Steve’s conclusions by visiting his own site, here: Did Corbyn stage traingate? Clearly not. Did Virgin/BBC break law? Probably. | The SKWAWKBOX Blog

The Information Commissioner’s Office has published the rules on making CCTV images public, as follows:

160823 CCTV law

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22 Comments

  1. Anthony Hagger August 23, 2016 at 11:33 pm - Reply

    https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

    If you have a concern about an organisation’s information rights practices, report it to us.

    Need help? Call our helpline on 0303 123 1113.

  2. hopsail August 24, 2016 at 12:35 am - Reply

    Whevs.. I’m still disappointed and appalled.

    • Mike Sivier August 24, 2016 at 10:43 am - Reply

      At the railway company?

  3. Roland Laycock August 24, 2016 at 8:13 am - Reply

    Its only against the law when you do it, the laws of the land are only made to keep you in your place as seen in the Labour Part coup

  4. NMac August 24, 2016 at 8:38 am - Reply

    If Branson has acted illegally I hope someone can follow it up and take action.

  5. David August 24, 2016 at 9:41 am - Reply

    Any stick will do to beat Corbyn with. How do we know that the apparently empty seats weren’t booked for people getting on further on up the line?

    • Mike Sivier August 24, 2016 at 10:19 am - Reply

      They would have had reservation notices & he could have used them until the people who reserved them got on.

      • Joan Edington August 24, 2016 at 12:20 pm - Reply

        On the clip I saw on TV last night, every empty seat did seem to have a reservation ticket. Obviously you can’t see where folk were getting on.

  6. wildswimmerpete August 24, 2016 at 10:40 am - Reply

    The Corporate State won’t give up trying to bury JC as long as he’s treading on corporate toes. I hope to see the day JC becomes PM and realises his aim to renationalise both rail and bus transport.

  7. Tony Dean August 24, 2016 at 11:01 am - Reply

    Just posted on the BBC news website:-

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37173048
    Jeremy Corbyn angered by train seat row questions

    20 minutes ago

    From the section UK Politics

  8. wildswimmerpete August 24, 2016 at 11:17 am - Reply

    Not for publication. Mike, why do you immediately delete my contributions? I suspect this is something personal? Perhaps I shouldn’t bother anymore? I’m very terse and blunt simply because of the consequences of stroke, writing meaningful prose still quite an effort even after four years.

    • Mike Sivier August 24, 2016 at 11:21 am - Reply

      It’ll have to be published simply so I can answer: I am not immediately deleting your comments.
      There are none in the Trash file and none in the Spam either.
      This comment is an out-of-the-blue surprise.

      • Hairyloon August 25, 2016 at 9:20 am - Reply

        Is the site possibly a bit glitchy?
        You’ve never given me explanation for why some of my posts have not been published, and I’d like to think that you’re too decent to delete them just ‘cos you don’t like them…

        • Mike Sivier August 25, 2016 at 9:52 am - Reply

          I am. Some of your posts are offensive in other ways, though.

  9. Tim August 24, 2016 at 11:27 am - Reply

    It would be funny if Mr Corbyn, who has been calling out for much more openness and transparency, was offended by and complained about footage recorded of him in a public space on a train. Even the most thin-skinned Corbynista would find that slightly amusing, surely?

    • Mike Sivier August 24, 2016 at 1:05 pm - Reply

      He hasn’t complained about that, I think.
      But it is against the law to publicise that footage.

  10. brian RICHARDSON August 24, 2016 at 2:29 pm - Reply

    it wasn’t Virgin Trains, it was Virgin Trains East Coast, different company & different rolling stock

  11. Tosh August 24, 2016 at 4:18 pm - Reply

    One of the original Virgin images had other peoples faces on them, I know if I was one of them I would sue there ass,

    • Hairyloon August 25, 2016 at 9:15 am - Reply

      What damages do you claim to have suffered?

      • Mike Sivier August 25, 2016 at 9:51 am - Reply

        What business is it of yours? The mere fact of being recognisable in the footage is actionable.

      • Tosh August 25, 2016 at 10:17 am - Reply

        Excuse me, did I say me, read the post again and please think before you type.

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