Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of legislative proposals in the Trade Union Bill on the finances of the Labour Party.

The proposals in the Bill are not about party funding. The Trade Union Bill is about employment and industrial relations. We are introducing a greater level of transparency into union activities by requiring union members to make an active decision to contribute to a union’s political fund.

If union members want a political fund, this will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the funds available. Therefore no assessment has been made in relation to the impact on the finances of any political party.