Political Party Funding

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town Excerpts

Thursday 15th December 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord McNally]

For a party that has pretty consistently polled over 20 per cent of the vote in recent general elections, there is certainly no self-interest about the 10 per cent figure. Indeed, we should all wait for the next election, which as we all know, usefully, is in 2015. Four years is a long time in politics.

[Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town]

Given that we are all in agreement, maybe I should say that I agree with Nick.

Given that the Liberal Democrat manifesto promised to get big money out of politics by capping donations at £10,000, would not the best way of ending the big donor culture perhaps be for the Minister’s party to return Michael Brown’s money—money that was not his to give and should never have been accepted?