UK outreach rules
UK rules for B2B telemarketing and cold email.
B2B cold calling and cold email are legal in the UK when you follow the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and, where you use a named person’s details, the UK GDPR.
The checks depend on the channel and on whether the business is a company or a sole trader, which is why the channel plan for each UK campaign is agreed in writing.
Phone calls: screen against TPS and CTPS
Before a live marketing call, the number must be checked against both statutory registers, the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS), and against your own do-not-call list. A business number is no exemption: sole traders and some partnerships register on the TPS, while companies use the CTPS. A new registration takes effect after 28 days.
On the call, the caller must say who is calling, let the number (or another contact number) display, and give an address or freephone number if asked. Calls about claims management need the person’s consent, pension calls have their own stricter conditions, and calls that play a recorded message need specific consent.
Email: companies and sole traders are treated differently
Under PECR, marketing emails to corporate subscribers, such as limited companies, LLPs and Scottish partnerships, do not need prior consent. You still have to say who you are and give a working address for opting out.
Sole traders and many English, Welsh and Northern Irish partnerships count as individual subscribers. They can only be sent marketing emails if they have specifically consented or the soft opt-in applies. A smart company-style domain does not tell you which kind of business you are writing to.
Named contacts are personal data
When you hold a business contact’s name with a work email or direct line, the UK GDPR applies. The ICO says legitimate interests will often be the right lawful basis where PECR does not require consent, but you still need the three-part test, privacy information and a way to honour objections.
Finding someone’s details online does not settle whether you can market to them. The rules above still apply.
Higher fines since February 2026
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the ICO can fine up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover for PECR breaches, with the change in force from 5 February 2026. The ICO also says parts of its PECR guidance are under review because of the Act.
This page was checked against ICO guidance on 4 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice; take advice on your own campaign.
How this shapes a Vivin campaign
Your scope records the channels used for UK contacts (email and LinkedIn; our callers phone buyers in the US and Canada only), how opt-outs are handled and how your exclusion list is kept current. Suppression lists are loaded before launch and honoured for the whole engagement.
PECR still applies in part to messages to US or Canadian buyers. The ICO says that when you send marketing to people outside the UK you must also comply with the laws of their country. PECR’s rules on naming the sender and giving a valid opt-out address apply to any marketing email, the UK GDPR covers how your company handles the contacts’ details, and the buyer’s country adds its own rules, such as CASL and CAN-SPAM, which our Canadian site sets out.
Questions about working with us from the UK.
Short answers to common questions about how we work.
Is cold calling legal in the UK?
Yes, for live B2B calls, if you screen numbers against TPS and CTPS, respect objections, identify yourself and stay out of the areas that need consent, such as claims management.
What is the CTPS?
The Corporate Telephone Preference Service is the statutory register where companies and other corporate bodies record that they do not want live marketing calls. Registrations take effect after 28 days.
Can I cold email a sole trader?
Only with their specific consent or under the soft opt-in. PECR treats sole traders as individual subscribers, unlike limited companies.
Does GDPR apply to B2B marketing?
Yes, whenever you use details that identify a person, such as a name with a work email or direct line. You need a lawful basis, privacy information and a way to handle objections.
Is cold calling illegal in Scotland?
No. PECR and the TPS and CTPS registers apply across the whole UK, Scotland included. One difference to note: Scottish partnerships count as corporate subscribers under PECR, unlike ordinary partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What changed with the Data (Use and Access) Act?
Among other changes, the ICO can now fine up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover under PECR, from 5 February 2026. The ICO is reviewing its PECR guidance as a result.
Book a discovery call at a time that suits your diary.
Thirty minutes on who you sell to and where your pipeline thins out. If a colleague in New York, Toronto or anywhere else is joining, check the time zone the calendar shows before you choose.
Pick a time. The live calendar opens here.
Choose to load the calendar below, check its time zone and pick an available time.
Calendar not loaded yet. Select Show available times to open it here.
Open the booking page