Political Parties and Elections Bill

I would love to be able to tell the hon. Gentleman that the rich trade union members provide such sums—I have been a lifelong trade unionist, and I am proud of my associations with the trade unions, particularly the Labour-affiliated ones—but that dwarfs anything that the trade unions put into any constituency by enormous volumes. There is no comparison in the figures involved. On the communications allowance, the hon. Gentleman need only do the mathematics to work things out. Conservative Members also benefit from the communications allowance, but it has a very different structure. The fundamental difference is that as long as hon. Members on both sides are confined to using the rules of this House, the communications allowance is restricted to that communication in which any Member of Parliament can engage as a Member of this House without reference to party politics. That is not the same thing as the constant drive of party politics that is being fed through things such as the golfing associations, the Ashcroft moneys and the unincorporated associations from which Conservative Members obtain such benefit. We perhaps also need to address another difference, which poses a real challenge to every Conservative Member. Anybody can look at the accounts of my constituency party or that of any Labour Member to see exactly what money went in and from what source, be that trade unions or otherwise. I talked to the general secretary of the Labour party tonight, and he told me that the Labour party must ensure that it is seen to honour both the letter and the spirit of this legislation. What is not clear is whether Conservative Members want to honour that same letter or that same spirit. Conservative Members will know, as I do, of the allegations made in ““Dispatches”” and in The Sunday Times that the route from Stargate Holdings, a Belizean company, through to Bearwood Corporate Services Ltd has been used to channel moneys into our political system to work outside the impact of our legal framework. That raises questions that ought to be answered by the Electoral Commission, by those who investigate such allegations of unacceptable activity and by the Conservative party if it is genuine in wanting to operate within the spirit and the letter of the law. This is not just about beggar-thy-neighbour politics; it is about genuinely wanting to offer the British public clean and transparent politics. I am aware that other hon. Members wish to speak, but I wish to make some further points. Real questions remain as to whether Lord Ashcroft is a registered elector in this country. He has said that he was a major donor to the Conservative party when the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 was in operation, and questions remain as to whether he was a permissible donor and whether the Conservative party's stewardship was such as to ensure that the moneys going into the party were proper and acceptable. Those questions must be answered. I have met and worked with many Conservatives, both when I was a local councillor and even here in Parliament. They are people of the utmost integrity, and I would never wish to suggest that being a member of the Conservative party, of itself, is anything other than being about the highest sense of public service and duty. When these allegations are made about our own parties—my party has had to face such allegations in the past—each of us must see whether the activities are consistent with proper and decent transparent politics. On that basis, I would say to this House that there is a long way to go.