UK Tightens Rules on Overseas Political Donations to Crack Down on Dodgy Funding
LONDON — Britain has tightened its rules on overseas political donations as part of a drive to prevent foreign money from influencing elections, with Housing Minister Steve Reed warning of what he called “dodgy funding.”
The new regulations come after a government review last year found that Britain faced a persistent problem of foreign countries — including Russia, China and Iran — attempting to influence and undermine the country’s democracy.
Tougher Donation Rules
Under the new measures, political candidates will be required to declare donations of over £2,230 received before becoming a candidate and prove that any pre-candidacy funding came from legitimate sources. Individuals moving to the UK from overseas must now live permanently in the country for a year before they can make a political donation of £100,000 or more.
Donations from companies will be assessed against past post-tax profits rather than revenue, helping to ensure only legitimate UK-linked businesses can donate. The rules build on measures announced in March, which capped donations by Britons living abroad at £100,000 per year and introduced a ban on crypto donations until a system to regulate them effectively is in place.
Reform UK Under Scrutiny
The announcement comes as Nigel Farage, leader of the anti‑immigration Reform UK party, is under investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog over whether he should have declared a £5 million ($6.68 million) donation from a Thailand‑based cryptocurrency billionaire. The donation was given before Farage said he would stand as an MP.
Reform UK, which has topped national opinion polls for over a year, has said no rules were broken over the donation from crypto investor Christopher Harborne. Harborne provided about two‑thirds of Reform’s funding last year, according to Electoral Commission data. Farage was referred to parliament’s standards watchdog on Sunday after a report that he failed to declare some other benefits.
“By holding overseas donors to tougher standards and requiring candidates to prove where their funding comes from, we are taking world‑leading action to protect the integrity of our elections and tackle the threats we face from abroad,” Reed said in a statement.
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