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| Election watchdog 'lacks courage' | Election watchdog 'lacks courage' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Electoral Commission has been strongly criticised in the wake of the "cash for peerages" affair. | The Electoral Commission has been strongly criticised in the wake of the "cash for peerages" affair. |
| The Committee on Standards in Public Life said the watchdog has lacked "courage, competence and leadership". | The Committee on Standards in Public Life said the watchdog has lacked "courage, competence and leadership". |
| Its current mandate was "too weak" and "its passive approach led to a regulatory failure on the issue of loans to political parties". | Its current mandate was "too weak" and "its passive approach led to a regulatory failure on the issue of loans to political parties". |
| The Electoral Commission said it "welcomed" the report's findings but did not accept it lacked courage. | |
| The Electoral Commission was set up in 2000 to boost public confidence in Britain's democratic systems. | The Electoral Commission was set up in 2000 to boost public confidence in Britain's democratic systems. |
| But in a hard-hitting report on its work the head of the standards committee, Sir Alistair Graham, said the commission was in need of "radical" reform. | But in a hard-hitting report on its work the head of the standards committee, Sir Alistair Graham, said the commission was in need of "radical" reform. |
| Fraud | Fraud |
| Sir Alistair says the commission did not act quickly enough when the loans issue - that people could lend millions to political parties without them ever being declared - was first raised. | |
| The loans did not have to declared if they were given on commercial terms, and were seen as a way round the laws which meant all sizeable political donations had to be declared. | |
| A police cash-for-honours probe was prompted by the discovery that some of those who had loaned large amounts to Labour in 2005 had subsequently been nominated for peerages. All involved deny wrong-doing. | |
| We do not accept that there is any basis for the accusation that the Commission has lacked courage and leadership Sam Younger, electoral commission chairman | |
| "On party funding, the evidence shows that uncertainty over the commission's statutory role as a regulator, combined with its passive approach, led to a regulatory failure on the issue of loans to political parties. | |
| "Guidance was not provided, even when the issue was raised during the 2005 general election, and no subsequent investigation or review as part of their statutory report on the election, was undertaken," he writes. | |
| Sir Alistair is also critical of the commission's approach to tackling electoral fraud, which he said had increased in recent years to the point where it was "widespread". | |
| He said the watchdog should have "shown greater focus and courage in alerting the risk to the integrity of the electoral process from legislative changes, principally the lack of safeguards against electoral fraud with the introduction of postal voting on demand". | |
| 'Welcomed' | |
| The standards committee report recommends the introduction of individual voter registration as part of a package of more than 40 measures aimed at improving its performance. | |
| "It is clear that both the Electoral Commission's remit and operation need to radically change if we are to restore public confidence in the electoral process and in the regulation of party political funding," said Sir Alistair. | |
| Sir Alistair said his report did not pass judgment on the legality of the loans, but confirmed that he had briefed police investigating cash-for-honours allegations on its contents. | Sir Alistair said his report did not pass judgment on the legality of the loans, but confirmed that he had briefed police investigating cash-for-honours allegations on its contents. |
| Electoral Commission chairman Sam Younger said he "welcomed" the standards committee report and supported "nearly all the recommendations that it makes" - including individual voter registration and more power to regulate party funding. | |
| But he added: "We do not accept that there is any basis for the accusation that the Commission has lacked courage and leadership." | |
| 'Outspoken' | |
| He pledged to "work closely with the government, the committee, political parties and others to take forward the committee's recommendations". | |
| Sir Alistair comes to the end of his first three-year term as chairman of the standards committee on 26 April. | |
| Speaking earlier on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he dismissed reports Prime Minister Tony Blair is determined not to re-appoint him because of his forthright views. | |
| "All of this is idle speculation. I am the fourth chairman of the committee since 1994. All my predecessors did one term of three years. | "All of this is idle speculation. I am the fourth chairman of the committee since 1994. All my predecessors did one term of three years. |
| "My three years comes up on 26 April. Until that time, I shall concentrate on doing the job I was appointed to do. If that includes being outspoken, I will be outspoken." | "My three years comes up on 26 April. Until that time, I shall concentrate on doing the job I was appointed to do. If that includes being outspoken, I will be outspoken." |