Electoral Administration Bill

My remarks are probing in nature on the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours. During the 15 years before I entered Parliament, while I was abroad for four of them, for some 11 years I was involved in active campaigning in north London. I stood three times in local government elections and once in a parliamentary election. I did a great deal of canvassing, particularly in the London Borough of Camden. It is a unique borough in that it starts in the commercial centre of the capital where the old Pearl Assurance building used to be and goes right out to the leafy suburbs, stopping just short of Hampstead Garden Suburb. As I say, I have had a great deal of canvassing experience and, while it is hazardous to extrapolate from a single case, perhaps this account will make the question more vivid. On one occasion, I was canvassing in Kentish Town and arrived at a house in multiple occupation, which is the worst possible canvassing experience one can have. One sees a large number of bell pushes with soiled and illegible labels, and the names on those labels bear only a small correlation to the names on the electoral register. I am sure that every one of your Lordships has had this experience in urban areas, and possibly even in rural areas. I pressed one or more of the buttons, knowing perfectly well that the reaction would come from a window high above my head. Someone would look out and we would conduct the canvass in a most indiscreet manner that could be heard by everyone in the street. But, as chance would have it, on this occasion two people appeared at the front door. One was a large Englishman wearing the sort of shirt whose collar detaches. It was evening, so it was detached and the collar stud was not in place. Standing in front of him was a much smaller person, a representative of a particular ethnic minority which I shall not identify. After I had gone into the usual spiel, the large Englishman said, ““We’re Labour here””. I did what one always does on those occasions; I said that one wins a few and loses a few, and I thanked him for answering my questions so directly. I then went away to do another hour and a half of canvassing in the neighbouring streets. My car was parked close to that house and, by chance, when I returned to collect it, I saw the member of the ethnic minority exercising his dog in a very English way. As I went to my car, he asked, ““Did we have a good evening?”” I replied, ““From our conversation at your abode, I understand that you will not be supporting my party at this election””. He said, ““It is true that at the last election I voted for another party, but I am going to change my vote on this occasion. Had it not been for the presence of that very large man—I live in close quarters to him—I would have told you my intentions. As it was, I did not misinform you, I just did not say anything””. I said, ““That is extremely helpful. Thank you””. The man went on to say: ““I should tell you that more votes than my own will be changing. My extended family lives in the neighbouring streets and they will all be voting the same way as I will””. So I said: ““As a matter of curiosity, how many of them are there?”” He said that there were about 25. I went on my way, thinking that I had possibly secured the largest canvassing coup in the history of British electioneering, since 50 people were going to change their votes. The fact remains that the process was unsatisfactory if they were all going to swing in that particular way. The area was not, I have to say, particularly ethnic. What I cannot tell from the noble Lord’s amendments is whether he envisages that these applications and orders will occur only where there are large ethnic minorities. It seems to me, as somebody who is interested in the British constitution, that it is just as serious that that process would be occurring in a small number of streets with a single family as it would be if it occurred on a larger scale, for the magnitude of the swing quite clearly has significance in terms of an election. Therefore, what I am not sure about is how widespread the issue has to be for it to become a matter that is then subject to his proposals.