They will also be asked to “listen to the concerns of my constituents about the need to give far greater priority in all government policies to family and community”.The declaration supports electoral reform “to ensure that every vote cast in an election is of equal value and that Britain’s voters are empowered with the maximum choice in future elections”.In a Gallup poll earlier this month, 67 per cent of people said they believed the Government was dishonest and 61 per cent that a future Labour government would be dishonest.Yesterday, Mo Mowlam, Labour’s Northern Ireland spokeswoman refused to sign, although her Labour colleague Ken Livingstone and Liberal Democrat Liz Lynne did.The information is being sent to people who have expressed an interest in politics, but anyone can receive details by calling freephone 0500 330340.. We want to offer hope and an opportunity to make a difference to all those who have been alienated by our corrupted political system.”Candidates will be asked to sign up to serving their constituents and country according to conscience and not to party whips. The People’s Trust, a non-party political initiative is backed with a pounds 1m donation from Mohamed al Fayed, the owner of Harrods.Christopher Graffius, the trust’s director, said: “Politics has become a conspiracy to secure power rather than a means of public service. The People’s Trust, a new pressure group to promote an ethical social agenda, has devised the declaration, which includes a commitment to elect- oral reform and a renunciation of paid consultancies.
It is to mail two million members of the public over the next week asking them to join its “campaign against political corruption”. All general election candidates are to be challenged to sign a declaration committing themselves to a politics of service rather than self-interest. The Labour leader is also expected to charter planes when necessary.After the party’s conference last September Mr Blair left by helicopter for a tour of marginal seats, and he is expected to take similar trips during the election.. It also carries a portable stage and sound system.Mr Blair’s two buses have not yet been seen, but they will be visible every day during the main election campaign.

The former 50-seater coach has been painted silver-grey with a red-rose logo and the slogan: “Prescott Express on the Road.” It also bears the legend: “It’s Good to Vote.” Inside there is a conference area, work space, a rest room and a kitchen. However, fund-raising from business has been intense, with individual donations believed to be in excess of pounds 6m.Among the high-profile figures who are reported to have given money to the party are Alec Reed, founder of the Reed Personnel Services employment agency, and Greg Dyke, chief executive of Pearson Television.The “Prescott Express” was unveiled yesterday with great ceremony. Others will stay in London and will ferry senior figures around the capital and on electioneering visits to the provinces.The cars will form a major part of Labour’s battle armoury, though their cost will only make up a fraction of the total election bill, which is expected to come to between pounds 15m and pounds 20m.At the last election the party spent pounds 10m, pounds 7.6m of it during 1992 and the rest during the preceding three years, but this time the bill is expected to be much higher.In the past, 80 per cent of the party’s funding came from the trades unions but that figure is thought to have dropped to around 50 per cent. But other shadow Cabinet members will travel mainly in the special election cars and by train.Some of the lease vehicles will be based at party regional offices around the country for the use of officials and visiting politicians. Although the party has refused to comment on its election arrangements or on what they would cost, the bill for its executive cars would amount to almost pounds 80,000 at commercial rates.
Tony Blair is also expected have two “battle-buses” and access to a helicopter, while John Prescott will travel in a specially-converted coach. Labour has spent tens of thousands of pounds hiring a fleet of 40 Rover saloon cars to ferry its senior politicians around during the election campaign.

There will also be the occasional flight, sometimes by helicopter as befits a former Royal Marine officer.Stop-off points are being kept under wraps, but much attention will be focused on south-west Britain, especially where the party came second to the Conservatives.Lord Holme said: “My slogan is a saying of my mother’s: If you’ve got no money, you have to think We will be nimble We will be leaner and meaner than our rivals.”. A “season ticket” for the roadshow, which starts to roll on 7 April, will cost newspapers, radio stations or television companies pounds 6,350 for each of their representatives. The Tories get their money from Hong Kong millionaires because most reputable multinationals have long since stopped funding them,” he said.Lord Holme said the bulk of the Lib Dems’ election funds are generated by voluntary activity such as cheese and wine parties.Some pounds 300,000 will be set aside for the three-and-a-half week “leader’s tour” during which Mr Ashdown will spend most of his time in the “battle bus”. While the party receives a “six-figure sum” from the Rowntree Trust, most donations are less than pounds 100.
“Our money comes from real people The ‘Peoples’ Party’ receives cash from trade unions. Lord Holme, head of the general election campaign, calculated the two other parties will spend five or 10 times more He says his organisations has no “sugar daddies”.

The party will spend between pounds 5m and pounds 6m on the election, some pounds 2.5m of which will be disbursed by LibDem headquarters at Cowley Street, Westminster and the rest by constituency committees. The Liberal Democrats are very much the poor relations when compared with Labour and the Conservatives. That’s where you should look if you’re interested in finding out where the money comes from.”. A Conservative Central Office source privately denied that much money was obtained from abroad but admitted: “Lots comes from people on the Honours List.

Probably the biggest recent British contributor was Graham Kirkham, a recently knighted businessman, who provided a “soft loan” of pounds 4m.The Tories refuse to submit their accounts to public scrutiny, saying donations are a private matter between donor and recipient. Mr Latsis is thought to have given other donations amounting to a total of pounds 1.5m.Mohamed Al Fayed, owner of Harrods, gave pounds 250,000 in 1987 but has since fallen out with the Tories. Stephen Byers, a Labour frontbencher, identified another five Hong Kong citizens who gave a total of just under pounds 500,000.John Latsis, a Greek shipping magnate, gave pounds 500,000 before the last election, which was recently confirmed by Lord McAlpine, former party treasurer. Peter Woo, who took over from his father-in-law, YK Pao, as head of Wharfe Holdings, gave pounds 200,000 in 1994.