Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

by René Lavanchy

A cap on how much Labour Party leadership candidates can spend in future elections is to be voted on by the party’s National Executive Committee, deputy leader Harriet Harman has said.

Ms Harman’s proposal comes after it was revealed Peter Hain spent around £200,000 on his unsuccessful campaign to be deputy leader last year, of which more than a quarter was spent on a nationwide media campaign just before the poll.

It is not yet clear when or how NEC members are likely to vote on the proposal, which has not yet been formally put to them. Ms Harman not yet disclosed what maximum limit on spending budget she has in mind.

But trade unions – including those who used their political funds to donate to deputy leadership campaigns – have largely refused to discuss the issue of curbing spending in the wake of the row over Mr Hain’s undeclared donations.

Ms Harman, who told Tribune columnist Paul Routledge last week of her keenness to cap spending, has listened to members who told her it was “bizarre” so much money had been spent on the campaign. Mr Hain spent the largest amount, followed by Jon Cruddas with £144,735. Gordon Brown’s uncontested leadership campaign was the most expensive of all, costing £203,852.

Labour MP John Spellar told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “This is money that could have been going into proper election campaigning… it should have been going into proper campaigning for the party, and not into this absurd election for this absurd position.”

Mr Hain reportedly spent in the region of £29,000 on a full-page advert in the Daily Mirror on the eve of the vote.

This week, party members and trade unionists gave a mixed response to the proposals. NEC member Ann Black told Tribune: “I think the candidates didn’t spend money effectively.”

“I think a lot of it was done in the media. It was members’ knowledge of the candidates over a long period [that decided their vote].”

Ms Black said she would wait for the detailed proposal: “We’ve got time to think about this. It’s the one thing we’ve got time to think about”.

But Peter Kenyon, chair of Save the Labour Party, said Ms Harman’s proposal was an “unfortunate distraction” from the bigger problems the party is facing.

However he acknowledged that money had been wasted on the deputy leadership campaign: “The proof is in the pudding, isn’t it?”

Keith Norman of train drivers’ union ASLEF, which gave £5,000 to Mr Hain’s campaign, said: “I think there [should] be a reasonable limit for election purposes, but what that is should be decided”.

However, he supported the idea of giving donations to leadership candidates in principle: “If there was an election for the leader again, we would go through the same process”.

“I certainly don’t think it should come from public funds. It’s public money and it should be spent on the benefit of the public, not on elections for politicians.”

The Communication Workers’ Union refused to comment, but noted its support for the Hayden Philips review of party funding, which recommended capping donations to parties. Other affiliated unions also refused to comment.