These amendments may lead to some mitigation of the effects of the Government taking control of the strategy and policy of the Electoral Commission if the Bill is passed in its present form.
If Clauses 14 and 15 are not taken out of the Bill, as they should be, we can still limit some of the damage by preventing the party in power continually changing the statement in accordance with its own interests.
“the commission will need to be seen to be scrupulously independent both of the government of the day and of the political parties”.
Lord Bassam
Elections Bill: Amendment 3 at 16.41
Since the last general election, the Conservative Party has been subjecting the Electoral Commission to undue pressure. In August 2000, the then Conservative Party co-chair Amanda Milling wrote in the Daily Telegraph that, if the Electoral Commission failed to make changes,
“then the only option would be to abolish it.”
That sounds pretty much like a threat to me. An independent election watchdog should not operate under such threats—not in a democracy.
Amendment 3 at 18.28
Clause 14: This introduces a requirement for the Electoral Commission to follow a strategy and policy statement written by the Secretary of State.
Section 15: This gives extraordinary powers of control over the commission to a committee which now has a majority of Conservative MPs.
The Speaker’s Committee controls the financing of the Electoral Commission and it will police the way in which it works. It will examine the way in which the Commission must have regard to the statement of strategy and policy when carrying out its functions.
“The requirement for the Electoral Commission to act according to guidance made in the Secretary of State’s statement (and to also produce a report detailing how the Electoral Commission has aligned its activities with that statement), is a direct challenge to the Electoral Commission’s neutrality and independence.”
Best for Britain organisation
There will be consultation, but ultimate power will lie with the Secretary of State.
Elections Bill: Amendment 3 at 18.50
All the debates today have shown that the House overwhelmingly wants to have an election watchdog, and wants it to be independent and effective.