Liberal Democrats launch clean campaign pledge

8.28.02pm GMT Mon 11th Jan 2010

Paul Varnsverry Andrew Simpson & Scott Collins

With the General Election due within 6 months Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidates in Northamptonshire have launched a 'Clean Campaign Pledge' and challenged their opponents to sign up in a bid to set clear standards for the coming election.

"After the expenses scandal people's view of politicians is, rightfully, at an all time low. We want to try and restore trust by making sure electors know that our election campaign will stick to certain key principles"

said Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton North Andrew Simpson.

"For example, any statements we make about our opponents will be referenced with evidence to support them. We will publish details of our major donors and make clear how our campaign is funded."

The Clean Campaign Pledge makes the following commitments:

• We will never lie to the electorate

• We will not make statements about our opponents without evidence to support them

• We will provide references for these statements on our web sites

• We will be honest about our past records, good and bad, and we will be open about the policies we would support as MPs.

• We will publish details of major donors to our campaigns

• We will never let electioneering stop us fighting for our constituents

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Northampton South, Paul Varnsverry, said "This pledge will be made available on the local party and candidate websites, along with the evidence supporting statements we make. Every single member of the public should have access to the sources of the information that politicians want them to believe."

Scott Collins, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for South Northamptonshire, added "I hope in this election period that all candidates will sign up to this pledge. The rules are simple, unbiased and designed to ensure the electorate can make a fully informed decision about who will be their next MP."