Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Electoral Law: Political Donations and Donors

Thursday 9 March 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Speaker's Committee has not held recent discussions on electoral law transparency with the Electoral Commission.
  • Electoral Commission has identified weaknesses in transparency requirements for political donations by unincorporated associations.
  • Current legal framework does not require unincorporated associations to ensure donor transparency or

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kirsten Oswald SNP
Democracy & Elections
Context

The committee has not held recent discussions with the Electoral Commission regarding the strength and transparency of electoral laws concerning political donations and donors.

Question

Whether the Speaker's Committee has had recent discussions with the Electoral Commission on the strength and transparency of electoral law on political donations and donors. The UK boasts one of the most transparent political finance regimes in the world, yet the Electoral Commission points out that modernisation and additional safeguards are necessary to bolster voter confidence.

Answer from Cat Smith

The Speaker's Committee has not held recent discussions on these matters. The UK's political finance regime is highly transparent, but modernisation and additional safeguards are needed to enhance voter confidence. Recommendations include new duties for parties to conduct risk assessments of donations and 'know your donor' checks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific discussions with the Electoral Commission on recent matters have not been held

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Q2 Kirsten Oswald SNP
Democracy & Elections Standards & Ethics
Context

Concerns were raised about the potential misuse of unincorporated associations as a means to channel foreign money into UK elections, including £1.7 million in registered donations linked to climate sceptics and fossil fuel interests.

Question

What is the Electoral Commission doing to address transparency issues with funding from unincorporated associations, specifically those that might be used by lobbying groups to influence elections? The commission has pointed out weaknesses in the current transparency requirements for political donations by unincorporated associations.

Answer from Cat Smith

The Electoral Commission has noted that there are weaknesses in the transparency requirements for political donations by unincorporated associations. These entities do not need to ensure donors are permissible; there are also no legal transparency requirements for unincorporated associations donating to candidates instead of parties or campaigners.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or recommendations from the Electoral Commission on improving funding transparency and mitigating influence have not been provided

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