INTEREST GROUPS AND ELECTION EXPENDITURE

Early day motion 880, tabled 4 March 1998 by Ann Winterton (Conservative). Signed by 8 members.

That this House welcomes the victory of Mrs. Phyllis Bowman of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children in her appeal to the European Court of Human Rights; notes that the judgement ruled that the section of the British electoral laws banning groups from spending money to publicise candidates' voting intentions or records was in breach of the right to freedom of speech; notes that newspaper claims of SPUC spending ú10,000 on 25,000 leaflets distributed in Halifax in 1992 are totally incorrect and that the sum related to leaflets covering candidates' voting records or intentions on life issues in over 300 constituencies; notes that the Society has never supported a call for campaign groups to be allowed unlimited expenditure; but asks for the law to recognise the need for realistic sums for interest groups in elections, thus acknowledging their clearly established human right to publish leaflets informing the electorate of the voting intentions or voting records of candidates on any given issue; and calls on the Government to amend the law for this purpose.

Signatures by party: Conservative 5, Liberal Democrat 2, UUP 1.