Member

We know that Unite, for example, wants to make all sorts of other payments. We know that from the material issued in May 2023 by Unite to encourage its members to vote on the political fund ballot. It makes it clear not just that it will be used to support Labour—which is perfectly proper—but that Unite’s elected executive council has complete carte blanche as to where the money is to be spent. If it gives money to a political party or to an MP, that, of course, will be disclosed in the Electoral Commission returns, but if it gives to other causes, which many of its members may be uncomfortable with, they will simply not know. It is not just Unite, of course; its accounts may not be typical, as it is having issues in connection with corruption—which, to its credit, its leadership has today recognised. But that sorry episode of alleged corruption reminds us that disclosure is all: the sunshine of disclosure is a disinfectant.