Trade Union Bill: Lib Dems to help Labour prevent bill from stifling party funding
Liberal Democrat peers are to help Labour water down the Trade Union Bill, which will dramatically reduce the party’s funding, in an amendment on Wednesday.
The support should give Labour enough votes to pass an amendment that would mean parts of the Bill that relate to political funding will be separated out and examined by a cross-party committee of peers. This was originally drafted by Lord Tyler, the Liberal Democrat constitutional reform spokesman, who wants the committee to examine broader political funding.
Baroness (Angela) Smith, Labour’s House of Lords leader, is now sponsoring the amendment. She believes there is a case for a committee to scrutinise political funding specifically, because the Government admitted it had not evaluated how the bill will affect Labour’s finances.
Labour believes it is a partisan attempt to secure the Conservatives’ financial dominance and has estimated it could lose as much as £35m in an electoral cycle. The Bill requires members of Labour-affiliated unions, for example, to opt in to paying a levy to the party, when they currently can opt out – making a costly psychological difference.
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Words fail me what a disgusting shower they are, lowest of the low.
Well this will be something especially seeing as Nick Clegg rarely votes these days. I think there should be a full investigation or piece on him! Hardly ever there.
Nick Clegg is still an MP – he doesn’t sit in the Lords.
What about the SNP? all parties should stand together against this..
My understanding is that the SNP has no members in the House of Lords. According to at least one commenter on This Blog, the party does not want anything to do with the Upper House. This Writer believes that is akin to cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face, but there it is.
The SNP has no members in the House of Lords because they do not believe it is a suitable 2nd chamber. If there was a democratic Upper House, then they would take their places, if elected. They are not hypocrites like so many of those sitting in the Lords (if they bother to turn up and stay awake) who were strongly against that chamber before they lost their seats in the commons.
Yes indeed. The problem with that is, of course, that they have no voice in the Upper House and cannot affect the debates that take place there.
Sounds like tory ideals have rubbed off on the lib dems!
get rid of the tories and drop the union bill completely.
A vote of no confidence in the government by a coalition of all opposing parties should ensue with all bills delayed their passage to the Lords.