Member

New clauses 80, 69, 70 and 120 are about capping donations. Trust in politics is not only about how we vote; it is about who politics works for. That is why I support a number of those amendments and, as has been eloquently expressed by some of my colleagues, when a small number of individuals can hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds, or even millions, to a single party, is it any wonder when people conclude that politics has a price tag? A sensible, proportionate cap set to the right level, with an independent review, is a basic common-sense safeguard against undue influence from any direction—again, this comes back to trust. The hon. Member for East Wiltshire (Danny Kruger) made a point about millions of pounds coming from trade unions, but they represent millions of people across the country. That is very different to millions of pounds coming from single individuals, so it is a bit of a fallacious point.