Why, oh why, won't Starmer put through a law preventing foreign donations to political parties? It would (AFAIK) not significantly hurt the Labour party, so it can't be fear of future losses. It is obviously the right thing to do from a justice and sovereignty perspective. So simple, and yet... 😭
Google led me to the Electoral Commission site where there is a list of political donations. Labour have some decent sums from unions, but nothing significant recorded there against any overseas entities that I could see.
Those are party donations. I have no idea where to find all the individual donations (and no energy to search them all either). Someone good person/group has probably collated that info already though.
All the more reason why it’s a very conspicuous - and very sudden - attempt to placate Musk, who was in December mooting a $100 million donation to Reform, so long as it wasn’t controlled by Farage.
I suppose this will put a price on Farage's loyalty. He'll cede control for a, no doubt, well renumerated position in the party, the sort of money UKIP couldn't offer him.
Reform without Farage will be nothing. It'll be like UKIP is today. But I'm sure if Musk's cash arrives enough will fall into Farage's pocket to encourage him to stay.
I don't understand Labours' position on this. I believe that Australia has introduced a relatively small cap on donations. If this comes to pass, Reform will flood all forms of media with garbage and the promotion of GBNews as the only source of the truth.
It’s not so much a position, as the absence of a position. The Tories are much more ruthless about ploughing through changes to party funding, sometimes by Statutory Instrument so as to effect change more quickly than through legislation.
But then, this gov are really, really bad at politics.
Surely this is just implementing the new constitution agreed in September? It turns Reform into a membership organisation, but Farage can only be challenged for the leadership if (a) 50% of members write to the chair requesting a vote; or (b) if Reform has >100 MPs & half of them demand a challenge.
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This is how the EU, currently bigger together than the US gets smashed up.
Does anyone know whether there is a register of political donations somewhere? (and if so, how easy is it to get money but not have it appear?)
https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Search/Donations
Did those donations include those made to individual MPs
But then, this gov are really, really bad at politics.