Westminster blog

The Daily Telegraph splashes this morning with news of an “exclusive networking event” for business people at Tory conference. Places start at £500 and each table will be hosted by a Tory MP. Those prepared to spend more – £1,000 a head – can guarantee dining with at least one serving government minister, according to the report.

But as the Tel admits, this is exactly what was done by Labour when it was in government. Except they were more subtle and less explicit about access to politicians.

“You would pay for a corporate table and you’d get somebody, usually a Labour MP or minister, sitting with you,” one lobbyist tells me. “You might select or choose someone and then either that person or someone else would turn up on your table. The only difference is that Labour doesn’t have ministers any more and the Tories do.”

Labour is itself calling for business to attend its autumnal conference, with the usual mix of sponsorship, advertising, dinners and so on for those prepared to pay the right fees. A table for dinner is up to £1,250. There is also a Business Forum, attended last year by Alistair Darling and Peter Mandelson.

And what about the Liberal Democrats?

As the LibDem website makes clear, there will be a “corporate day” at the annual conference where people in suits can – for £800 a day – mix with senior members of the party including Vince Cable, Danny Alexander and Chris Huhne.

(“Corporate Day is an opportunity for senior business leaders to meet Liberal Democrat representatives and discuss current issues and opportunities facing businesses in Britain“).

The Lib Dem business dinner is £250 per ticket, or £2,500 per table, and will allow “chairmen, CEOs, directors and clients to join senior Lib Dems for a critical insight into the aims of the coalition”.

The Libs will even help you publish the name of your business all over their conference, if you are prepared to part with the right amount of money.

Conference also features a wide range of unique opportunities for sponsorship. Lanyards, conference bags, stewards’ uniforms, receptions and the Internet café are just a few of the sponsorship options available to organisations who want to bring their brand to the attention of the Liberal Democrats.

So Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems are more or less in the same boat.Is the situation ideal? No? Why does it happen? Because British political parties don’t have state funding and therefore have to beg and borrow from those with deeper pockets.

Reopening the party funding talks is the way forward – and is set to happen – but don’t hold your breath. Last time attempts to resolve the system collapsed with Labour and the Tories each blaming one another. Without state funding, however, where are they supposed to get their funding from?