This House of Lords Library briefing provides information in support of the House of Lords second reading of the Political Parties (Funding and Expenditure) Bill [HL] on 10 March 2017.
Political Parties (Funding and Expenditure) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (249KB PDF)
The Political Parties (Funding and Expenditure) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat). The Bill received its first reading in the House of Lords on 6 June 2016 and is scheduled to receive its second reading on 10 March 2017.
Setting out the purpose of the Bill, Lord Tyler stated:
This Bill is based on the cross-party draft published by Andrew Tyrie MP, Alan Whitehead MP and Lord Tyler in April 2013, and seeks to fulfil the objectives of the report on this subject by the Committee on Standards in Public Life published in November 2011. The current Bill updates the previous proposals to reflect the various 2015 manifestos commitments of all the main parties seeking to take the big money out of British politics and to regularise the constraints on both party donations and expenditure.
The Bill comprises of 28 clauses and three schedules. It aims to regulate both the funding and expenditure of political parties. This includes making provisions for the phased introduction of a cap on donations to political parties. The Bill also seeks to count membership fees from trade unions and organisations to political parties as individual donations in prescribed circumstances. In addition, the Bill aims to introduce a limit on non-election expenses incurred by political parties. Further, the Bill outlines the functions of the Electoral Commission, an independent body which regulates political finance in the UK, in enforcing the Bill’s provisions. The provisions would apply to the whole of the United Kingdom.
Political Parties (Funding and Expenditure) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (249KB PDF)
The House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber Bill) [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Plaid Cymru). It would require the secretary of state to carry out a consultation regarding proposals for replacing the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber. The bill specifies whom the secretary of state would be required to consult with and the timeframe of that consultation.
![House of Lords (Alternative Second Chamber) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 11 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/House-of-Lords-568x426.png)
The bill is a government bill that would make a range of changes to the legal framework concerning elections, including extending the franchise for UK parliamentary elections and other reserved elections to 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill was amended during both its committee and report stages in the House of Commons, with many of the government’s later amendments implementing recommendations from the Rycroft review on countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics.
Social media and other technologies have made it easier, quicker and cheaper for foreign powers to spread false information online aimed at undermining UK democracy. Such disinformation campaigns are one type of interference operation. In parallel, researchers have noted a link between declining public trust and societal polarisation, which can be exacerbated by online discourse. This briefing provides introductory reading to these issues, including recent reports and government announcements.
