UK Independence Party threatens to use FOI Act to reveal Conservative Party donors

UK Independence Party threatens to use FOI Act to reveal Conservative Party donors

The UK Independence party (Ukip) has threatened to use powers under the Freedom of Information Act to make full details of the Conservatives' backers public. Party chairman David Campbell-Bannerman said he would use the act to force the Electoral Commission to make public the Conservatives' confidential financial documents.

Shadow leader of the Commons, Theresa May, said the Conservatives would reveal details of the loans to the Electoral Commission, but would not make them public, to preserve the rights of the individuals concerned. But Mr Campbell-Bannerman said this was unacceptable and insisted the public had a right to know who was funding their political parties. He said he would use the Freedom of Information Act to demand the information if the Tories did not volunteer it.

Ukip fuels Tory loans row (politics.co.uk website, 3 April 2006)