Electoral Administration Bill

My Lords, as the noble Baroness will no doubt have expected, I am not happy with that response. The use of foreigners to make loans when they were not eligible to make donations is plainly an abuse of the spirit of the 2000 Act. Given that the political party which borrowed the money must have recognised that it would be and remain under a legal obligation at some point to repay the loan, it is not unreasonable to say that the repayment must take place immediately or, at any rate, within a quite limited period of time after the coming into force of the new clause. I might well have divided the House on this had we reached this group of amendments before the dinner break; it is the practice not to divide the House on a significant amendment at this time of the evening. I will consider what the Minister said and consult on this, but it could well be that we will bring this back at Third Reading. For this evening, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.