Clause 7
Political Parties and Elections Bill
4:30 pm
Michael Wills (Minister of State, Ministry of Justice; North Swindon, Labour)
As always, the hon. Gentleman makes some valuable points and broadly speaking, they reflect the views of the Electoral Commission. Of course we are aware of those views and we have taken them into account. The hon. Gentleman said, using carefully chosen words, that he was not altogether sure that this way was the right way. Let me try to give him greater certainty, so that he can go forward into the afternoon in comfort and relaxation.
There is no difference in principle between us on the fact that there needs to be some form of sanitising period; I think that that is consensual. That is why we have maintained the existence of that sanitising period. The only question is how long that period should be. We have taken the view that to maintain the current restrictions is disproportionate and restrictive on individuals’ right to participate and perhaps to bring their interests to bear in this form of public life. There needs to be a sanitising period. Some of the recommendations have come from the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The hon. Gentleman is right to say that the decision to reduce the restrictions on other commissioners from 10 years to five was taken by the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, by and large, we have imported the view of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, except in that one respect.
I want to offer to the hon. Gentleman an anecdotal reassurance and then a reassurance in principle about the approach that we have taken. The anecdotal experience is that, by and large, being politically active is an addiction and an obsession. We all know how all-consuming political activity can be. By and large, when people decide, for whatever reason, to detoxify and leave the pursuit of politics, they tend to stay clean. After a break of five years or one, they do not tend to decide to seek election and parliamentary office. They have either had their fill of it and they move on, or they have never had their fill of it and never move on. Therefore, if people take a break, they move on from that partisan participation. That is the anecdotal reassurance.
Much more importantly, we must not lose sight of the fact—we come back to this point over and over again—that everyone we are talking about will be selected on merit. Those selecting them, whoever they may be, will clearly be conscious of the need to avoid any perceived or actual conflicts of interest. That is fundamental. All the concerns that the hon. Gentleman expressed are fundamentally important, but all the commissioners will be selected on grounds of merit, and with that will come the fundamental objective of avoiding any conflicts of interest, real or perceived. I hope that that gives the hon. Gentleman some reassurance about the approach that we have taken. It is a matter of judgment. This is the judgment that we have made and we think it adequate.