State aid to political parties could be a pledge in Labour's next general election manifesto, Peter Hain has claimed.

The Common leader has revealed that Tony Blair is preparing to include the commitment despite opposition from the Conservatives.

"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," said Hain.Interviewed in the Independent, Hain said 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.

Though short on details, Hain said he would not back a "trade off" scheme where state funding would be linked to a cap on individual donations of £5000.

Hain, who is also Welsh secretary, described the idea as "tantamount to an infringement of civil rights".

The comments came on the first day of the TUC conference.

Labour has been locked in negotiations with the unions to secure £40 million of funding over the next five years but this has stalled because of rows over public services and the fire fighters dispute.

Hain also talked down calls by campaigners for the voting age to be lowered to 16.

"We can't get 18 year olds to vote, so would we get 16 year olds to?" Hain asked.

And he also echoed the frustration of Number 10 over the way politics is discussed in Britain, particularly following the David Kelly affair.

"We are operating in a Westminster bubble that is completely divorced from where the average citizen is. We have got a real problem as a political class - that includes government, opposition and the media," he said.

"Politicians need to be straight with the public about the issues that concern them. But the media needs to be straight in the way they report them."