Citation, commencement and interpretation

1. —(1) This Order may be cited as the Companies (Political Expenditure Exemption) Order 2007 and shall come into force—

(a) for the purposes of its application to Great Britain, on 1st October 2007;

(b) for the purposes of its application to Northern Ireland, on 1st November 2007.

(2) In this Order, “ news material ” means material relating to—

(a) news,

(b) public and political affairs,

(c) public and political events, or

(d) views, opinion or comment on such news, affairs or events.

Exemption from authorisation

2. Political expenditure is exempt from the need for authorisation under Part 14 of the Companies Act 2006 if it is—

(a) political expenditure to which article 3 applies, and

(b) incurred by a company to which article 4 applies.

Description of political expenditure

3. —(1) This article applies to political expenditure incurred in respect of the preparation, publication or dissemination of news material, where that material contains matter which would render that preparation, publication or dissemination on the part of the company an activity on the part of the company that is capable of being reasonably regarded as intended—

(a) to affect public support for a political party or other political organisation, or an independent election candidate, or

(b) to influence voters in relation to any national or regional referendum held under the law of the United Kingdom .

(2) Until 1st October 2008, paragraph (1)(a) has effect as if the words “or an independent election candidate” were omitted.

Description of company

4. —(1) This article applies to any company whose ordinary course of business includes, or is proposed to include, the publication or dissemination to the public, or any part of the public, of news material, or the preparation of such material for publication or dissemination to the public, or any part of the public.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), it is to be irrelevant—

(a) by which means or modes the news material is to be prepared, published or disseminated; or

(b) where the public, or any part of the public, to which such material is published or disseminated is located or the identity or description of the public or any part of it.