Donations scandal forces talks over party funding

The Deputy Prime Minister said he had called for yesterday’s talks after last month’s claims that the then Conservative Party treasurer Peter Cruddas had been selling access to Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mr Clegg added that he hoped representatives of the three main parties would thrash out a deal on party funding.

The Liberal Democrat leader said the negotiations, taking place at the Cabinet Office in Whitehall, would explore suggestions from Sir Christopher Kelly, who investigated party funding following previous rows.

Mr Clegg said: “Party funding scandals have blighted all political parties over time, no party is purer than the driven snow.

“There is a blueprint for change from Sir Christopher Kelly and his panel.”

Mr Clegg praised the “exceptionally good” work performed by Sir Christopher, who chairs the Committee on Standards in Public Life, saying: “I hope it will provide the impetus to a deal. We need to crack on with this and I am impatient to see urgent progress on this on a cross-party basis.”

But he questioned one of the panel’s key recommendations for boosting taxpayer-funding.

The DPM and Sheffield Hallam MP said Sir Christopher “certainly overstated the public appetite for increased public funding for political parties right now”.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude and Conservative Party co-chairman Lord Andrew Feldman were leading the talks for the Tories, ex-Cabinet Minister John Denham and former Labour Party general secretary and current whip Lord Ray Collins were negotiating for Labour and former Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Laws and party chief executive Tim Gordon were representing the Liberal Democrats.

According to the Cabinet Office, the six representatives were yesterday due to agree ways of working, including whether to “request factual information from the Civil Service by Ministerial agreement”.