Greens welcome calls by ministers for state funding of political parties
16 April 2002
Green Party Principal Speaker Darren Johnson said, "As long as parties are dependent on donations from businesses, wealthy individuals and trade unions there will always be the perception that these donations influence party policy."
"We have seen this with both the Tory and Labour governments. The only way to end the sleaze is to provide state funding for political parties."
State funding has long been Green Party policy. In its evidence to the Neill Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 the Green Party proposed that parties should receive state funding in order to remove their dependence on donations. At that time the committee's report did not recommend more state funding.
Stephen Byers, the cabinet minister with responsibility for political party funding, said yesterday that he now supported state funding for political parties. He has asked his staff to prepare a report on the experience of state funding in other countries.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, in an interview in yesterday's Times, said that state funding was the only way that political parties could avoid further accusations of sleaze. He said, "Political parties have to be financed somehow and there is nowhere in the world where they get it all from membership subscriptions. I think the only system under which you can be properly accountable is state financing with set limits of expenditure and advertising."
Darren Johnson said, "Mr Prescott could almost be quoting from our manifesto. The challenge now is for Mr Byers, Mr Prescott and their colleagues to actually do something about it and change the system. We've had the words now let's see some actions."
Home Secretary David Blunkett and Labour Party chairman Charles Clarke have also come out in favour of state funding. The £1 million donation from Formula 1 boss, Bernie Eccleston, and the £50,000 donation from Powderject chief executive, Paul Drayson, to the Labour Party both lead to accusations of sleaze.
