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Political Parties and Elections Bill

Does the noble Lord not understand the huge difference in the short period when a parliamentary by-election is taking place and all parties pump in enormous resources? In the past, when expense limits were very restricted, all parties knew how to avoid the limits. Let us be frank about that. All parties did it in a legitimate and legal, but nevertheless slightly dodgy, way. The fact that parliamentary by-election expense limits have been increased so substantially is therefore a good thing. There is all the difference in the world between a party—or two or three parties—going all-out during the four, six or eight weeks of a parliamentary by-election campaign and that level of spending being sustained over a number of years.