Next Step : State Funding ?

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 marked the most comprehensive and radical overhaul of British party finance for over 100 years. It instituted reforms in many areas with the notable exception of the comprehensive extension of state funding for political parties. However, despite the radicalism of the Act, questions have already arisen as to whether the further state funding should occur. This article argues that in order to examine the case for more comprehensive state funding, policy makers need to look beyond the current calls and make a decision by evaluating several criteria on an empirical, rather than an assumed basis. First, however, it is worth outlining the stage we are at presently by summarising the new Act, looking at its impact to date and examining the claims made in recent episodes which have led to calls for more comprehensive state funding of political parties.