Election Candidates

I accept your admonition, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 introduced positive changes and implemented the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. As I said, those changes were made on the basis of broad consensus, to which we remain committed. I hope that the Conservative party will bear that in mind as we move to examine changes to party funding in further detail in future. The Electoral Commission is responsible for monitoring whether the Act is properly observed and it is important to apply it so that the public can have confidence in the funding of political parties. It is important for all individual members of political parties and the parties themselves to work with the Electoral Commission to ensure that transparency. It worries me deeply, as a democrat, when someone such as the hon. Gentleman can come to the House and make such allegations knowing that the Electoral Commission has found no fault. Doing that undermines the democratic process and makes people lack confidence in our system. We have moved far on transparency and we will go further, with support and consensus in the House. However, I often fear for democracy when undefined allegations, which lack evidence, are thrown around in the heat of an election campaign, thus undermining the whole process. If the hon. Gentleman genuinely believes that he has a serious point to make, I hope that he is prepared to do it outside, in the public domain, without the cloak of parliamentary privilege to protect him. Otherwise, he undermines not only his position but that of his party and, more important, democracy itself. Question put and agreed to.