Tony Blair is preparing to include a pledge on state aid to political parties in Labour's manifesto at the next general election.

Interviewed in today's Independent, Commons leader Peter Hain says the government would not wait for the Electoral Commission to produce its blueprint for state funding next summer but would work "in parallel" with it.

"Politics needs political parties. Political parties can only run with money. Everyone agrees that it is not desirable to have parties relying on big donations from multinational companies, wealthy individuals or even trade unions," he said.