Parliament backs Green calls for party finances investigation
The Scottish Greens have hailed the passing of their proposal for an independent review of political party finances.
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer MSP said:
“I am glad that Parliament supported our call for an independent investigation into party political finances.
“At a time when billionaires and bad faith actors are trying to buy political influence and corrupt our politics, it is important that every political party is held to high standards of financial transparency.
“Westminster has refused to act because the major parties there are bankrolled by the super rich. That’s why our proposals include a call for the power to regulate political parties in Scotland to be transferred to the Scottish Parliament.
“The UK Government should make that transfer immediately. This would allow MSPs to deliver on any outcomes of the independent review which would require changes to the law.
“The cheap and opportunistic politics from Labour and the Tories would have seen taxpayers’ money wasted on a parliamentary inquiry into the SNP. I’m glad that MSPs rejected that and voted instead for the Scottish Greens’ proposal for an independent review covering all political parties.
“It is not the job of politicians to mark our own homework, that must be done independently and fairly.
“Time and again Westminster has refused to improve political transparency across the UK. In Scotland we can now do our bit to restore public trust, starting with this wide-ranging review.”
Notes:
Text of Amended Motion: Inquiry to Restore Public Trust in Scottish Politics
“That the Parliament believes there is a need to restore public trust in politics following multiple recent financial scandals, including those uncovered by Operation Branchform; further believes that an independent review into party political finances would go some way towards restoring this trust; believes that, to avoid this becoming a nakedly partisan process, it should be independently led rather than conducted by parliamentary committee, and that its remit must apply to the funding of all political parties; recognises wider concerns about the role of money in politics, including the scale of donations by extremely wealthy individuals, and the influence of organisations that refuse to disclose their funding sources, and calls for the devolution of power over the regulation of political parties and their funding to allow for the implementation of any recommendations of the independent review that would require legislative change.”