European Union Affairs Spokesman: Charles Kennedy.
ALLEGATIONS OF SLEAZE SHOW NEED FOR INVESTIGATION OF POLITICAL FUNDING. Charles Kennedy MP, Liberal Democrat Member of the Standards and Privileges Committee, commenting on the controversy surrounding Government policy on tobacco sponsorship and allegations that this may have been influenced by donors to the Labour Party, said: “The last Government was dogged by allegations of sleaze, dragging down the reputation of British politics. If the House of Commons is to recover its reputation, it is essential that such allegations are not allowed to accumulate again. “This latest episode underscores the need for the new Chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee to proceed as quickly as possible with a consideration of the entire issue of party political funding, particularly the pressing need for state funding of political parties. “As long as piecemeal cases like this one continue to crop up, we will only be seen to be addressing the symptoms, rather than the root cause of the problem.”
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