“Reform or die” warning to Labour over party funding
Article posted by Unlock Democracy
Poll finds cross party consensus for reform but Tory MPs back ‘nuclear option’ on trade union funding
Today (Wednesday 10 December), Unlock Democracy unveil polling figures which suggest the Labour party risks a future Conservative government destroying the existing Labour-Union link if it fails to introduce meaningful reforms to the party funding system in this session of Parliament.
84% of Conservative back-benchers support the “nuclear option” on party funding, by capping trade union contributions to Labour at £50,000 per year. The survey results also indicate a strong urge for swift reform on the Conservative benches: 78% of them believed a future Conservative government would legislate to clean up party funding reform in its first term.
The survey results do suggest a way forward for Labour. The Labour back-benchers surveyed supported ‘individualisation’ – treating the affiliation fees of trade union members as individual donations so long as it can be shown they have given their informed consent to do so – by a factor of three to one. One of the largest Labour-affiliating unions, Unison, already operates a limited form of individualisation.
The polling figures come from a survey carried out by Unlock Democracy on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd. throughout November. Nearly 100 MPs responded to the survey which asked for their views on a range of options for party funding reform.
The poll suggests broad consensus on the need for party funding in other areas, revealing that of those MPs who expressed a preference:
- 68% believe party donations should be limited to £50,000 or below
- 64% favour a reduction in the current level of General Election spending of £20m, with a majority calling for it be halved
- More than half agree with 2004 Electoral Commission proposals that small political donations should be made eligible for tax relief.
Commenting on the poll’s findings, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said:
“These figures show that there is a real hunger amongst Conservative backbenchers for the nuclear option of party funding reform, smashing the existing relationship between the trade union movement from the Labour Party. Labour faces a stark choice: reform now, on its own terms, or have draconian measures forced upon it by a future Conservative government.
“We welcome the clear support for ‘individualisation’ coming from the Labour back-benches. Individualisation would transform the relationship between party and individual trade union member, giving them far more say over the direction of the party. The dynamic relationship between individuals and the party has been lost in recent years as the bigger unions have merged. Individualisation would thus help Labour get back to its roots.
“But this option has been rejected at every stage by the Labour government. If Labour back-benchers do not convince their ministers about the need for reform, they will almost certainly regret it later.”
