France has done something this week that millions of British consumers will surely look at with envy: it has effectively said enough is enough when it comes to nuisance sales calls.

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Under new rules that came into force on Tuesday, French businesses will generally no longer be able to make unsolicited commercial calls unless consumers have given prior consent.

In other words, the starting point is simple: if I haven’t asked you to call me, don’t.

So why aren’t we doing the same in Britain?

Here, we have the Telephone Preference Service and rules governing direct marketing calls. But the system essentially puts too much of the burden on consumers. You have to opt out, register........

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