The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom. It formed an important part of the constitutional reform programme implemented by the 1997 Labour Government, building on the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 (c. 48) which was passed two years earlier.

Background

The act was introduced after consultation with major political parties, and largely followed the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (known at the time as the "Neill Committee" after its chairman), an independent body set-up by former Prime Minister John Major to consider ways of making politics more transparent. The committee set out its proposals in its report, The Funding of Political Parties in the United Kingdom.

Provisions

The act created an independent Electoral Commission to regulate political parties and their funding arrangements. It also required parties to submit statements of their accounts on a regular basis, and prohibited the receipt of funds from foreign or anonymous donors. Restrictions on campaign expenditure were also put in place, dictating the maximum amount that parties were able to spend.

, the limit for elections to the UK Parliament in Westminster stands at £54,010 per constituency contested; this would reach a maximum of £34.13 million for parties contesting all 632 seats in Great Britain. This spending limit applies within 365 days of a general election. These spending limits were last increased in November 2023 by the Representation of the People (Variation of Election Expenses, Expenditure Limits and Donation etc. Thresholds) Order 2023 (SI 2023/1235).

The amount permitted to be spent by third-parties during parliamentary elections to support or oppose candidates was increased from the previous limit of £5 (which had been held to be an impermissible restriction on freedom of expression by the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of Bowman v United Kingdom) to £500.

Referendums

The act provides a basic framework to the running of all future referendums that are to be held under the jurisdiction of the Electoral Commission in pursuance of any provision made by a subsequent act of Parliament in the following areas:

  • United Kingdom
  • England
  • Northern Ireland
  • Scotland
  • Wales

The act also makes the provision that in any future UK-wide referendum the chairperson of the Electoral Commission is appointed "Chief Counting Officer" for the United Kingdom or gives the power for the chairperson to appoint a Chief Counting Officer.

Controversy

In December 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair and politicians of other parties were questioned by police as part of their investigation into the Cash for Honours affair. Part of their time was said to be spent looking at whether the act had been breached by parties taking loans from supporters in return for nominations to the House of Lords. Unlike donations, loans did not have to be made public as long as they were made on "commercial terms".

The government later changed the law to require the declaration of all forms of loan, and asked a former Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, Sir Hayden Phillips, to undertake a fundamental review of party funding arrangements. He reported in 2008.

In November 2007 the provisions of the act were again the subject of scrutiny in the cases of Labour party donor David Abrahams and Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander.

In 2016, several UK police forces started investigations into allegations of election fraud during the 2015 general election, specifically on allegations that the Conservatives breached the spending limits. The majority of allegations focus on the misrepresentation of the "battle-bus" finances.

See also

  • List of political parties in the United Kingdom
  • Elections in the United Kingdom
  • Campaign finance

Notes

References

  • Website of the Committee on Standards in Public Life