Political Parties Funding — Reform rejected — 4 Dec 2007 at 18:48

The majority voted against the motion:^[1]

• This House
• notes with concern the corrosion of public trust in democracy following the recent succession of scandals over the funding of the governing political party;
• regrets that a comprehensive package of proposals to reform electoral law was not achieved by the inter-party talks owing to the refusal of the Secretary of State for Justice and the Labour representative, Mr Peter Watt, to accept a comprehensive cap on donations;
• observes the unhealthy increase in back-door state funding through the £6 million of funds allocated to special advisers and the funding of over 3,000 press and communications officers across Whitehall and its quangos;
• asserts that the Communications Allowance^[2][3] is an unhealthy extension of taxpayer funding for party propaganda that advantages the governing party; and
• calls for a comprehensive package of reforms to restore public trust and to support a vibrant local democracy and voluntary activism, which must include an across-the-board cap and annually a genuine individual choice for union members on whether they wish to donate to their favoured political party.

An alternative motion was passed in by the next vote.^[4]

• [1] Francis Maude MP, House of Commons, 4 December 2007
• [2] MPs vote for £10,000 web funding, BBC, 28 March 2008
• [3] Division 87, Communications Allowance, 28 March 2007.
• [4] Division 20, 4 December 2007.

Debate in Parliament | Source |