Clause 5
Political Parties and Elections Bill
12:45 pm
Pete Wishart (Spokesperson (Overseas Aid; Culture, Media & Sport; Ministry of Justice); Perth and North Perthshire, Scottish National Party)
The Minister has been pretty convincing this morning, but he is on less steady ground in response to this amendment, and I say that with great respect. We have to have it out there and accept that there are two classes of commissioner: the standard commissioners of the Electoral Commission and politically appointed commissioners. We cannot get away from it—there are two different types and two different standards. To pretend otherwise is naive on the Minister’s behalf. The commission itself raised doubts about that.
We always have to remember that when something is reported on and when conclusions are made, it is passed to the police. Those cases and circumstances may become police investigations, so the charge of political bias will be open to legal challenge. I am a former musician, not a lawyer like some of the distinguished people here, but anything that could be open to a legal challenge on that basis cannot be a good thing and has to be dealt with. The Minister’s response has not convinced me. In very difficult situations and circumstances, political commissioners taking a view on enforcement issues with other political colleagues is not the way forward. I have great concerns and I shall press the amendment.