IPPR has reacted to
the Electoral Commission's revelation that Reform UK has
received a record £9m donation from a
single wealthy supporter – the largest
sum ever gifted to any UK party by a living
person.
Dr Parth Patel, IPPR associate
director for democracy and politics,
said:
“We should all be concerned that
wealthy individuals are accounting for a growing share of party
funding.
“Christopher Harborne's £9m
donation to Reform is record-breaking, but comes in the
context of more millionaires donating to political parties than
ever before.
“The only real solution is for the
government to introduce a cap on how much any one individual can
donate in a given year. That a cryptocurrency
investor based in Thailand would still be allowed to
finance British democracy under the new election laws the
government is trying to pass only highlights its
holes.
“Not so long ago, donations over
three or four million pounds were extremely rare. They are now
quite common.
“It is no surprise that voters
perceive their support is worth less to a political party
than the power of someone else's pound. This is an
under-acknowledged reason behind declines in voter turnout
and falling political trust in our
country.”
IPPR has
previously called for a £100,000 cap on individual
donations, among other measures aimed at increasing trust
in democracy and raising the number of people
who vote in elections.
NOTES FOR
EDITORS
1. Modernising elections: How to get
voters back by Dr Parth Patel and Dr Ryan Swift, is
at at: https://www.ippr.org/articles/modernising-elections
