Member

Motion E and Amendment 72C tabled by the Government in the other place relate to political funds, and Motion E1 relates to the amendment in lieu of the noble Lord, Lord Burns. I start by thanking the noble Lord for his engagement with me on this area, particularly in ensuring that we both understand our respective positions. However, I think I made it clear to him that we cannot accept his latest amendment in lieu, which effectively retains something similar to the arrangements in the 2016 Act, as members will be deemed to be a contributor to the political fund only if they opt into making these contributions, forcing members to make a choice to either opt in or opt out on the application forms, otherwise preventing them from joining a union if they do not do so. That is an additional burden on unions. In the Bill, we are simply returning to the situation as it was prior to the Trade Union Act 2016. The noble Lord’s amendment would also block the Government’s delivering on the commitment to repeal that Act. We are reinstating the long-standing practice that existed for 70 years before the passage of the 2016 Act, including that operated during the Thatcher and Major Administrations.