The new Clean Up Westminster campaign (CUW) has called on the Prime Minister to seize the historic opportunity presented by the King’s Speech and the expected return of the Representation of the People Bill to finally tackle the growing influence of big money in British politics.
Peter Geoghegan, Founder and Editor of Democracy for Sale, said:
“The UK’s political finance system is no longer fit for purpose.
Huge donations, opaque funding routes and weak enforcement have created an environment where influence can too easily be exercised out of public view.
At the same time, campaign spending has risen sharply while safeguards have failed to keep pace.
The Representation of the People Bill contains important reforms. But unless it closes the loopholes that still allow money and influence to operate in the shadows, public distrust will continue to grow.”
They warned that Britain risks sliding further towards a system where a tiny number of super-rich individuals are able to buy extraordinary levels of political access and influence while ordinary voters feel increasingly shut out of decisions affecting their lives.
Clean Up Westminster said proposals currently under discussion, including a moratorium on crypto funding and a £100,000 cap on foreign donations, would still leave major loopholes that wealthy donors could navigate through UK-based companies, intermediaries or temporary residency arrangements, and by turning crypto into cash.
The intervention comes after a series of major political donation controversies, including reports surrounding multimillion-pound donations linked to Nigel Farage and Reform UK, alongside longstanding concerns across multiple parties about cash-for-access politics, donor influence and opaque funding routes.
CUW says that the King’s Speech now represents a defining moment for the Government to prove it is serious about cleaning up Westminster. Without a strict cap on political donations, campaigners warn the opportunity for major reform could be lost for another generation.
Polling shows overwhelming public support for limits on political donations, with campaigners arguing the Government must now respond to growing public anger about how money and influence operate in British politics.
84% of the public believe wealthy individuals use money to influence politics, while 78% feel they have little or no say over political decisions. These views cut across party political divides.
Duncan Hames, Senior Director of Policy at Transparency International UK, said:
“Big money is corrupting our politics. A handful of super rich donors can secure access and influence that no ordinary voter could match – not through campaigning, not through community organising, just by writing a cheque.
The Representation of the People Bill is a real chance to change that. But just targeting foreign money won’t be enough. Without a meaningful cap on donations and tighter spending limits, the money will find a way back in.”
The King’s speech will include The Representation of the People Bill; the Hillsborough Bill; and a bill enabling Peers to be removed for wrongdoing. But the Prime Minister’s current proposals lack understanding, coherence, and boldness on all fronts. Clean Up Westminster is calling on the PM to use these parliamentary vehicles to deliver real change:
- Take big money out of politics: Cap donations to stop our democracy being sold to the highest bidder
- Crack down on corruption and misconduct by Ministers and MPs,: Nobody should be above the law, and the worst offenders should go to jail
- Clean out the House of Lords: No more handing out peerages to donors, and no more Lords lobbying for pay
Olly Buston, Director of Clean Up Westminster, said:
“The House of Lords has turned into Britain’s most exclusive VIP lounge.
Plans in the King’s Speech to strip disgraced peers of their titles acknowledge a problem, but focus on the aftermath rather than the cause.
The Lords facilitates corruption through an unfit nomination process and through the practice of Lords having all manner of second jobs, directorships, consultancies and commercial roles. This is where the Government should really focus its attention.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Clean Up Westminster is a non-partisan, people-powered movement campaigning to reduce the influence of money in politics and strengthen standards in public life.
Polling and research referenced:
- 84% of the public believe wealthy individuals use money to influence politics. Source: Transparency International UK, Taking Big Money Out of Politics
- 78% of people feel they have little or no influence over political decisions. Source: Fair Vote UK polling
For interviews, comments, or further information, please contact:
Sara Badawi
SaraBadawi@CleanUpWestminster.org
07826528296