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<p>As the full excerpt below shows, the statement referred to by the Noble Lord relates
to conduct and activity during the final 28 days of the referendum period, which are
covered by the provisions of section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums
Act 2000. The Government will comply fully with these provisions.</p><p>“Instead,
new clause 10 provides a power to make regulations to exempt particular categories
of publication from section 125. Any such regulation would need to be approved by
an affirmative resolution in both Houses. We have also adopted the recommendation
of the Political and Constitutional Affairs Committee that the Government should consult
the Electoral Commission before any such regulation is made.</p><p>While I understand
the constructive intention behind the suggestion made by the hon. Member for North
Down (Lady Hermon), I think that at the end of the day the Government must be free
to go to Parliament and ask whether it accepts or rejects a particular proposal. The
safeguard here is that if Government new clause 10 is accepted tonight, both Houses
will have the right to veto anything that the Government might bring forward under
this new provision.</p><p>Let me explain the kind of things I have in mind. They include,
for example, modernising the press notice exemption, which is already in section 125,
to take account of digital media, by making it clear that it is permissible to link
to a press notice from a website or a social media site; allowing the publication
of a document on government.uk; or clarifying that material passed on to the print
or broadcasting media would be acceptable. None of those things is clear at the moment.
Let me repeat that we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to
do things such as mailshots, paid advertising or leafleting.”</p>
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