[Red Moon]

Laura White fans demand voting figures

X Factor bosses were under mounting pressure to publish voting figures last night after 50,000 Laura White fans complained about her shock eviction.

The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom last night launched an investigation as angry viewers threatened to boycott the show if Laura wasn’t reinstated.

A petition with 50,000 signatures was presented to Ofcom and one of the organisers, Dan Kirby, said: “People just want to know what happens when they vote and we have a right to know the figures. How do we know Laura was even in the bottom two? How many votes did she get? We don’t know.

“They need to come clean. The voters pay the bosses’ wages – they have a right to know.”

Ofcom will look into Section Two of the broadcasting code: “All competitions should be conducted fairly... Rules should be clear and appropriately made known.”

There have also been allegations of a glitch in the phone system, which some viewers say prevented them from casting their vote.

The complaint states: “Many thousands of viewers are convinced that either their call was blocked or their vote misappropriated.”

Yesterday thousands of people continued to sign online petitions calling for Laura to be reinstated. One, Elaine Macgregor, added: “FARCE. Boycott the X Factor!”

Another called Emma said: “It was a total fix. Producers knew she was competition so kicked her out. Bring back Laura!”

But a spokesman for X Factor last night said: “We would never reveal the voting figures during the competition, as it could give contestants an unfair advantage and spoil the competition for viewers.

“At the end of the series, we are more than happy to reveal the voting pattern to the public which will very clearly demonstrate who the viewers have been voting for each week.”

The spokesman added: “There were no issues with the phone lines or the voting system during last week’s show.

“The viewers vote for the act they want to keep in and last Saturday Laura White and Ruth Lorenzo were in the bottom two because they had the least amount of votes.”

Source: Daily Mail