Spotlight on Corruption welcomes the new measures to strengthen the rules around political donations in the Representation of the People Bill to deliver Labour’s manifesto promise. We also welcome the independent review into foreign interference by Philip Rycroft which may lead to further government amendments to it.
However, given that this Bill may be the last elections bill of this Parliament, it is crucial that it is strengthened in three key areas by:
- Creating a fairer playing field on political finance – by introducing much tighter spending limits and a cap on political donations
- Strengthening enforcement – both by enhancing the Electoral Commission’s powers and resources, and tackling the criminal enforcement gap
- Closing down potential foreign interference loopholes – by ensuring the cap for corporate donations is based on profit not revenue, making the Know Your Donor policy more robust, ensuring a prohibition on cryptocurrency donations until more robust safeguards are in place, ensuring that overseas voters can only make donations if they are UK taxpayers, and strengthening the rules around unincorporated associations.
