Draft Transparency of Donations and Loans etc. (Northern Ireland political parties) order 2018

Nic Dakin Excerpts

Tuesday 19th December 2017 General Committees

[Chloe Smith]

I have great respect for the hon. Lady and I have great and serious respect for her tone of voice. However, she has deployed it unnecessarily twice in this Committee. She is trying to say something that her vote will not say. She needs to hear her own advice. She needs to take her own point: that words and actions matter. In fact, I think that actions probably matter the most, which is why Conservative Members will vote for the order.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

Will the Minister give way?

--- Later in debate ---

[Chloe Smith]

I will put this quite bluntly: the Government propose transparency; those who vote against the order are reducing the amount of transparency that will stand on the statute. That is the fact.

[Nic Dakin]

Will the Minister give way?

[Chloe Smith]

No, I will not.

Let me deal with the point from the right hon. Member for Exeter. As I said when I intervened on him, I cannot confirm any of his questions; I explained why, and he should know why. He still seems to want me, for example, to have written to the Electoral Commission, and to have asked it to commit an offence by replying to such a letter. He says he has done so; I really hope he has not, because to do so before passing a draft order such as this is to incite the commission to commit a criminal offence. That would be very unwise indeed.