Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Election Finance from Overseas: Transparency

Thursday 15 June 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

  • The Committee has not had recent discussions with the Electoral Commission on the transparency of election finance from overseas.
  • The Electoral Commission has highlighted vulnerabilities in the political finance system that could allow unlawful foreign money to enter UK politics.
  • Unincorporated associations have donated more than 14 million to political parties without declaring the source of the funding in the past five years.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alan Brown SNP
Democracy & Elections
Context

The Electoral Commission has highlighted vulnerabilities in the political finance system that could allow unlawful foreign money to enter UK politics. It is unclear if the Committee has recently discussed these issues with the Commission.

Question

What recent discussions has the Committee had with the Electoral Commission on the transparency of election finance from overseas?

Answer from Cat Smith

The Committee has not had recent discussions with the Commission on the matters raised. The Commission has highlighted vulnerabilities in the political finance system that could allow unlawful foreign money to enter UK politics. It is recommended that parties should be required to conduct risk assessments of donations and “know your donor” checks. Parties should not be permitted to accept donations from companies that exceed their profits made in the UK.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Recent discussions between the Committee and the Electoral Commission on foreign funding transparency were not addressed.

How: The Committee Has Not Had Recent Discussions With The Commission On The Matters Raised.

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Q2 Alan Brown SNP
Standards & Ethics
Context

Unincorporated associations have donated more than £14 million to political parties in the past five years without declaring their funding sources. There is concern that robust transparency rules are required to prevent foreign donations being made through these organisations.

Question

In the past five years, unincorporated associations have donated more than £14 million to political parties without declaring where the funding comes from. Given that the Tories have not exactly been shy about taking money from Russia-linked businesspeople, does the Commission share the concerns of the chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life that robust transparency rules are required to prevent foreign donations being made that way?

Answer from Cat Smith

The Commission has highlighted weaknesses in the transparency requirements for political donations by unincorporated associations, as the hon. Gentleman mentioned, which could allow donations from otherwise unlawful sources. The Commission is not required to ensure that those who donate are permissible donors. There are no transparency requirements in law for unincorporated associations that donate to candidates rather than to political parties or campaigners. The Commission will continue to recommend to Government that changes be made to ensure that voters can have greater confidence in political finance in the UK.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions by the Electoral Commission to address transparency rules for unincorporated associations were not directly addressed.

How: The Commission Is Not Required To Ensure That Those Who Donate Are Permissible Donors.

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