Political Donations: Cap
Debate between Lord Khan of Burnley and Lord Forsyth of Drumlean(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)
My noble friend makes a number of excellent points. To summarise, I agree that there is a lot more we have to do as a Government. We committed in our manifesto to protecting democracy by strengthening the rules on donations to political parties. While it is clear that foreign donations to political parties are not permitted, the Government recognise the risk posed by malign actors who seek to interfere with and undermine our democratic processes. We will take the necessary steps to make sure that effective controls are in place, in order to ensure that democratic processes are safeguarded.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)
Further to the Question from the noble Lord, Lord Rennard, the largest ever donation to the Liberal party was made by a convicted fraudster, Michael Brown. In looking at any changes in the law, will the Government consider forcing political parties that, like the Liberal party, have received money from fraudulent sources to return it to the victims of the fraud?
Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)
My Lords, the noble Lord makes an interesting point; however, it is not for me, as a Minister, to consider, but for other parties. This is a decision for political parties on how they operate.
Voter Registration and Participation
Debate between Lord Khan of Burnley and Lord Forsyth of Drumlean(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)
My noble friend makes an excellent point. We are exploring options to utilise data held by public bodies to encourage electoral registration, including what more can be done to enable electoral administrators to obtain local data. We are working with the Electoral Commission on this. On voter identification documents, as part of our commitment to expanding the voter franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds, we need to consider whether the requirements and patterns of ownership of identity documents for identification differ for younger voters. If we find that the list of accepted identification documents needs to be revised, the Government will bring forward proposals in due course.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)
My Lords, does the Minister not acknowledge that one way to increase participation in elections is for Governments not to break the promises they make in the run-up to a general election—in particular by imposing taxes on working people, which they said they would not do?
Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)
My Lords, we are delivering on our manifesto. On voter registration and increasing participation, the Government are committed to encouraging democratic engagement among all electors, including young people. That is why we will bring forward legislation for 16 and 17 year-olds to be able to vote in UK elections. This Government believe that by building a strong foundation for democratic participation among young people, we can establish voting habits that will continue as they grow older.