The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Science, Information and Technology (Baroness Jones of Whitchurch) (Lab)

My Lords we have had an extensive debate that indeed feels a bit like another day in Committee, but I know we all want to move on so I will try to be as brief as I can. Amendment 147 was tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Burns, and I thank him for the ongoing engagement that we have had on the topic of political funds throughout the progress of the Bill in this House. In drafting the Bill, we have of course been mindful of the lessons learned in the conclusions of the Burns committee on trade union political funds and political party funding. I am also grateful to my noble friends Lord Monks, Lord Barber and Lord Whitty for reminding us that the compromise at that time was not intended to be a long-term arrangement, particularly because of the imbalance then, which still exists, in political party funding, which has yet to be addressed. In the meantime, the Government believe that the 2016 Act places unnecessary red tape on trade union activity that works against their core role of negotiating, dispute resolution and giving a voice to working people. We are seeking to redress that balance and remove the burdensome requirements on how unions manage their political funds. This is why the repeal of the 2016 Act was a manifesto commitment. By reverting back to the automatic opt-in for new members, we are simply returning to a long-standing precedent that was altered by the previous Government through the 2016 Act. Prior to that, automatic opt-in was in place for 70 years, even during the Thatcher and Major Administrations. The noble Baroness, Lady Cash, raised the issue of Article 11. The Government are confident that our measures relating to political funds comply with Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Article 11 provides the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of their interests. Unlike subscriptions in the private sector, when we speak about unions and their political funds we are ultimately talking about voluntary organisations whose members have willingly come together to represent their collective interests. Political funds are one mechanism that unions can utilise to further their shared goals. Political funds are not just about affiliation to political parties; they can allow unions to participate in and campaign on a range of issues in their members’ interests. Examples include lobbying MPs, broader public campaigns, research to develop policy ideas and paying travel expenses for workers to attend Parliament to give evidence on issues that they face at work.