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"Courageous"

Dominic Lawson. The Independent July 2008

MP Welcomes Move to Rein in Party Political Spending

Tags: Party Spending | Press Release

Wednesday, 18 June 2008 00:00

Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, has welcomed new moves to rein in campaign and election spending by political Parties. The MP says the moves are long overdue. Speaking from Westminster earlier today, the MP said: "Huge amounts of money are being spent by the Conservatives in Pendle with tabloid sized literature being delivered by the Royal Mail on a regular basis to every household in the constituency. No-one knows how this is being financed. There is no transparency." The White Paper, published this week, sets out plans for immediate reform with a Bill expected in the Autumn. The MP added: "A key aspect will be the reintroduction of the pre-2000 trigger on candidate spending and increased transparency. We need to know who is giving what to whom." Note to Editors: The White Paper proposes that immediate action should be taken to address unforeseen consequences flowing from Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 which have unintentionally allowed candidates to spend unlimited amounts prior to the dissolution of Parliament against the intentions of the Neill Report and those expressed by all three main parties during the passage of the 2000 Act. Lord Neill chaired the Committee on Standards in Public Life whose report in 1998 recommended tighter controls on spending and greater transparency of donations.