Question

To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that an item of candidate spending provided by a party counts towards both (a) the long campaign spending limit for a candidate and (b) the party spending limit; how the treatment of notional expenditure and agent-authorised expenditure differs; and whether the Commission has made an assessment of the potential impact on party spending limits.

The Electoral Commission’s guidance aims to support campaigners to meet their obligations which are set by the UK’s complex political finance laws. It develops guidance based on legal advice and interpretation of these laws.

The Commission sought additional external legal advice on reporting of spending during the long campaign and is in the process of reflecting that legal advice in guidance.

The guidance will provide clarity on the parts of the candidate spending laws that impact how a candidate should report spending in the long campaign.

It will also clarify that there is a requirement for a candidate return for spending during the long campaign and therefore spending is not reportable in a party return.