Member

The opt-in change was made in March 2018, and by 2022 the figure of 86% had dropped to 71%. Of some 4.6 million of those who were opting out, 3.8 million opted in. The figures for the next stage are not available until the middle of this year. The data shows a drop of 800,000 people. Scanning the unions, the average political levy is £10, although it may be that I have not scanned the exact 13. None the less, the points stand regarding political campaigning. I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, for drawing our attention to those points. These are big sums of money. I have heard, and respect, the points made by the noble Lord, Lord Prentis; none the less, they are not a reason for changing the fundamental democratic right not to have to give money for which there will be no refund mechanism.