THE PRESS OFFICE OF
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon (Independent Labour)
News Release
25th August 2015
Peer challenges unions and think tanks receiving EU funding to ‘come clean and declare an interest’
Following recent revelations that the European Commission is secretly funding trades unions and think-tanks to promote pro-EU messages on both sides of the Atlantic, in the run up to the referendum on EU membership, the independent Labour Peer, Lord Stoddart of Swindon has called on all such organisations to make it clear that they are being funded by the EU.
Lord Stoddart said: “We are in the disgraceful situation where taxpayers’ money is being given by the EU to organisations openly campaigning for the UK to stay in the EU. What they are not so open about is the fact that they are being under-written by the EU itself. They should make that clear in all their pronouncements on this topic.
“I do not absolve individuals from declaring an interest either, most notably politicians who are in receipt of pensions from the EU, which are conditional upon not being critical of Brussels. In the interests of a fair referendum, it is time for these organisations and individuals to come clean and declare an interest.”
The European Commission has a £500 million per annum promotional budget and spends at least £200,000 a year funding think tanks and unions in the UK alone.
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