Contributions
380 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)New clause 36 and amendment 25 would place a new legal duty on the Electoral Commission to produce guidance for returning officers on how to enforce the offences introduced by the…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)New clause 37 would ban the use of foreign languages in campaign material during the regulated period—it would make it a criminal offence. A primary purpose of the Bill is to…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)New clause 59 would create a new offence of misleading the public in a parliamentary election campaign, which could be committed by candidates in election campaigns.…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)I turn to the final clauses in the Bill, which make general provisions and are standard practice for a Bill. Given the hour, I do not intend to go through each of the remaining…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Ninth sitting)New clause 66 would remove the prohibition on the Electoral Commission bringing criminal proceedings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that was introduced in the Elections…16 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)To prevent attempts to circumvent spending limits, current rules require campaigners to seek permission from the courts before they are able to pay invoices late. In practice,…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)Under current rules, candidates or their election agents must deliver a return and declaration and any accompanying documents relating to their election expenses to the returning…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. Election agents could use a PO box as a correspondence address, but not as their office address. I hope that gives him the reassurance…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)The shadow Minister is, of course, fully entitled to his views. However, the new clauses relate to a very narrow framework in the Bill. The Government are considering the review…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)I will first speak to clause 58, schedule 8, Government new clause 60, and Government amendments 39 to 41 and 44 to 78, before turning to the amendments tabled by the Opposition.…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)I beg to move amendment 39, in clause 58, page 67, line 38, leave out “, when it” and insert “— (a) the party has not previously undertaken a risk assessment in relation to a…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)With the introduction of votes at 16, 14 and 15-year-olds will be able to pre-register as attainers for up to two years before they reach voting age. To safeguard the data of…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)I will speak first to clause 60, before addressing the amendments tabled by hon. Members. Clause 60 directly responds to long-standing concerns about vulnerabilities in the…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)The hon. Member will appreciate that implementation of the Bill will require substantial secondary legislation. As tempting as it is to set out a timetable, we have to focus on…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)In the interests of time, I will continue. On the other remarks made by the hon. Member for North Herefordshire, I hear her point about profit and revenue, and it is highlighted…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I will be guided by you, but I do not intend to speak to new clauses 13, 32 and 52 at this stage. However, to…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)I thank Members for the wide-ranging and constructive points that they have made. The Government accept the thrust of the amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Hamble Valley;…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)We will consider those points. The Rycroft recommendations are being considered very carefully. We will respond to them in due course and we will come back to Parliament with our…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Seventh sitting)The hon. Member has made her point. The Government believe that there is a place for company donations from UK companies. We just feel that we should be much stricter about the…14 Apr 2026HANSARDRepresentation of the People Bill (Sixth sitting)Harassment and intimidation of voters, electoral staff and campaigners, both online and in person, is totally unacceptable and has a profoundly detrimental impact on our…14 Apr 2026