Debate on the Address

I want to pick up on a couple of the points that the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) has been talking about, particularly the last one about the arms race that exists between political parties in terms of election expenditure and pre-election expenditure. Surely what we need is some form of cross-party consensus. Surely that is what the talks that were going on were trying to achieve. It seems a pity that those talks have foundered, rather than carrying on to try to find a way to reach some conclusions. It is an interesting use of the word ““little”” in respect of Lord Ashcroft's contribution of financial largesse to the Conservative party.