Political and Constitutional Reform

Mark Menzies Excerpts

Monday 5th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

Thanks for the relevant question.

As the hon. Gentleman is aware, the loan pledged by the last Government to Sheffield Forgemasters—an outstanding company about which I suspect I know a great deal more than he does—was announced for political purposes, just before the general election, to allow the then Prime Minister to make a late-night photo-opportunity visit to Sheffield Forgemasters two days before the election, and the Government made that announcement in the full knowledge that they did not have the money to make the promise in the first place. What was cynical—deeply cynical—was for a Government to raise the hopes of people in Sheffield by making promises which they knew they could not afford.

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

In his statement the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned sorting out the influence of big money in politics. Does that include trade union money?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

Clearly, any new arrangement for the funding of political parties will need to be binding on all political parties in a consistent manner, and that is what we will aim to achieve.