The Government is taking further action to stop foreign money and hostile actors from interfering in UK elections and politics.
💪 Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. Everyone should be able to trust that political decisions are made in the interests of UK voters, not people trying to buy influence from overseas.
What changes are we making this week? 📰
✅ We’re asking the Electoral Commission - the independent body which oversees elections - to look again at the limits on how much can be spent during election campaigns. We’ve also asked it to widen its review so it covers spending limits for individual candidates - not just parties and campaign groups.
✅ We’re planning a new test to stop wealthy people living overseas giving huge donations to political parties despite not living in the country. This will make sure donors have a genuine connection to the UK, rather than simply appearing to live here.
✅ A new team will be set up to look at other risks to UK democracy, such third-party campaigning, how transparent political funding is, and other emerging threats.
These plans build on action the Government is already taking through the Representation of the People Bill, which is returning to Parliament today with tougher rules on political donations.
Measures coming at Report Stage of the Representation of the People Bill 📜
Stopping overseas donors from giving unlimited amounts 🌍
✅ Voters who live abroad and want to donate to UK political parties will only be able to give up to £100,000 a year in total.
✅ If someone who lives abroad moves back to the UK, they'll still be limited to the £100,000 cap until they've been living here for a full calendar year. This stops people getting round the rules by moving home for a short time just to make a large donation.
✅ The same rule will apply to anyone moving to the UK for the first time, so people can't dodge the new rules by moving over before they come into force.
Banning donations made in cryptocurrency 💷
✅ Political parties will no longer be able to accept donations made in cryptocurrency. This applies to all cryptocurrency donations made from 25 March 2026 onwards, of any amount.
✅ Anyone who's already accepted a cryptocurrency donation will have 30 days to give the money back once the new rules come into force.
Making sure companies have a genuine UK link 🏢
✅ Companies wanting to donate to political parties will need to show they have a real and meaningful connection to the UK or Ireland. This stops shell companies being set up simply to funnel money from abroad into UK politics.
✅ Companies will only be allowed to donate up to the value of their post-tax profits each year, rather than being able to donate based on their total income. This closes a loophole that could let companies donate more than they can genuinely afford.
Beyond political finance: wider changes in the Representation of the People Bill 📜
The Representation of the People Bill doesn't just tackle foreign financial interference and political donations – it also includes several wider measures to modernise and protect UK democracy more broadly. Here's what else is included:
🗳️ Votes at 16: extending the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds.
📝 Improved voter registration: modernising registration systems, including making better use of data moving toward more automated processes.
🛡️ Harassment and intimidation: stronger protections and tougher sanctions to tackle harassment and intimidation of candidates and electoral staff, with wider work taking place through the Defending Democracy Taskforce, across government, police and the Electoral Commission.
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