Political Parties and Elections Bill

My Lords, my noble friend had very little to say about the position of the House of Commons—many of us will wonder why. The hour is late, everyone is waiting to vote and there are many things that I would like to say in response to my noble friend’s contribution. What I will recall from this debate is his likening of the casting of a single vote to the contribution of millions of pounds to a political party. They cannot be the same, yet the Government’s case seems to rest on that proposition, along with all the administrative difficulties that they say will arise in the event that the amendment is carried. I simply dispute their case. We took widely available advice on the question of what the impact would be on the department. The arguments that my noble friend has used this evening are new in that area alone. All the other arguments that he used are in response to questions, and are arguments that I used in my own contribution and answered quite comprehensively. I am indebted to the noble Lords, Lord Tyler, Lord Borrie, Lord Williamson, Lord Anderson, Lord Lea of Crondall, Lord Oakeshott, Lord Rooker and Lord Warner, and to the noble Baroness, Lady Gould of Potternewton, for their contributions. In particular, I would like us to reflect on the words of the noble Lord, Lord Neill. He questioned what the public—the man in the street—would say if asked what he expected of Parliament. In his view, my view and, I believe, the view of the great British public, this should be sorted out now. This is our only opportunity and I call upon my noble friends to join me in the Division Lobby to test the view of the House. Division on Amendment 29 Contents 107; Not-Contents 85. Amendment 29 agreed.