Experts say: Get this momentous legislation right.
*For immediate release*
Thursday 12 February 2026 – Today, following the introduction of the Representation of the People Bill, the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition is urging the Government to go further in its ambition to “usher in a new era for our democracy” at this watershed moment in our politics.
The UK Anti-Corruption Coalition welcomes many of the Bill’s provisions – particularly the introduction of measures to protect our democracy from foreign interference. These announcements mark an important first step towards shoring up our democracy against the risks of foreign interference.
But, experts warn that the Bill as introduced fails to address some of the most serious and long-standing risks in Britain’s political system – including over-reliance on the super-rich for political donations, cryptocurrency donations, and interference in the independence and enforcement powers of the Electoral Commission. Indeed, experts note that the focus on foreign interference does little to address the systemic weaknesses within our own political system that weaken our democracy and allow undue influence to flourish.
Dr. Susan Hawley, Co-Chair of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption, said:
“It is crucial that the government gets this once-in-a-generation legislation right to protect the very future of UK democracy. Inaction on measures like the independence of the Electoral Commission, crypto donations, donation caps, and effective criminal offences will be a gravely missed opportunity.
MPs must hold the government to account for ensuring the Bill is strengthened as it goes through Parliament, and we at the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition stand ready to support that work.”
Gavin Hayman, Co-Chair of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and Executive Director of the Open Contracting Partnership, said:
“The last few years in politics have seen scandal after scandal, and the public is fed up. If our government is serious about cleaning this up, it needs to take bold action, not make tepid, technocratic fixes to a broken system. Now is the moment for that ambition to materialize.”
Phil Brickell MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax, said:
“This Bill is a welcome step in safeguarding our democracy against foreign interference and dirty money, but it will need to be updated to close major remaining loopholes and deficiencies if it is to be truly fit for purpose.
“For example, how can we safely monitor political donations while allowing people to give money via crypto, the most opaque payment method on earth? I can only think of one reason why someone would give a donation this way, and that is to hide its source."
The coalition is therefore calling for:
A ban on cryptocurrency donations to political parties;
Caps on political donations;
The independence of the Electoral Commission restored;
Measures to strengthen the civil and criminal enforcement regime for electoral finance.
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
In December 2025, Reform UK received the biggest ever donation from a living donor – £9 million from crypto investor Christopher Harborne.
In 2023, 66% of private political donations came from just 19 mega donors.
Spending at the 2024 UK general election reached a record high of £94.5 million - £21.9 million higher than in 2019 (a 30% increase).
The Elections Act 2022 undermined the independence of the Electoral Commission by giving ministers powers to direct its priorities through a Strategy and Policy Statement, compromising its ability to act as an impartial regulator. Whilst in Opposition, the Labour Party opposed the Conservative Government’s power grab over the Electoral Commission – the main watchdog that oversees elections and party financing.
The Electoral Commission has continued to publicly oppose its lack of independence from ministerial influence. In response to the White Paper, it stated: “[w]e remain opposed to the principle of a strategy and policy statement, by which a government can guide our work. The independence and impartiality of an electoral commission must be clear for voters and campaigners to see, and this form of influence from a government is inconsistent with that role. This bill offers a timely opportunity to repeal the power for government to designate a statement.”
In a 2024 report, Transparency International found that £13m of political donations since 2001 had come from donors alleged or proven to be intermediaries of foreign funds or hidden sources, and £10.9m had come from companies that had not made enough profit to support the donations they had made.
According to Spotlight on Corruption, China and Russia spent over $300 million to influence democratic processes in at least 33 countries between 2010 and 2020, with 30 “financial attacks” a year since 2016. New concerns have arisen about foreign interference from organisations or individuals that hold extreme views who may seek to donate to UK political parties despite not being eligible to do so.