Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill — Clause 27 — Cap on Spending by 3rd Parties in Elections — 9 Oct 2013 at 18:00

The majority of MPs voted to reduce the UK cap on spending by each campaigner in a general election who is not standing or putting up candidates from £988,500 to £390,000; they also voted to significantly reduce the spending threshold for registering as such a campaigner.

MPs were considering the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill^[1][2]; they voted to reject an amendment which stated:

• page 13, line 37, leave out clause 27.

The clause which was the subject of the vote was Clause 27^[3][4]

The Explanatory notes to the Bill^[5] describe the effect of the clause. It sets the registration thresholds for a campaigner in an election, who is not standing or putting up candidates, at £5,000 spent in England or £2,000 spent in each of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The previous limits were £10,000 and £5,000 respectively.

The clause would also reduce the cap on spending for a campaigner in an election, who is not standing or putting up candidates, from that set in paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 10 to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, of £988,500 to 2% of the maximum campaign expenditure limit ie. £390,000. (This is actually broken down with amounts for each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

MPs had held a previous vote on the same clause on the 10th of September 2013

==

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill 2013-14
• [2] Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill as introduced 17th July 2013
• [3] Clause 27 of the of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill as introduced 17th July 2013
• [4] Official Record, House of Commons, 10 September 2013
• [5] Explanatory notes to the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill as introduced 17th July 2013

Debate in Parliament | Source |