National Crime Agency: Reform Party Funding

Earl of Kinnoull Excerpts

Tuesday 14th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

What I will say to the noble Lord is that I think it is important we have clean financing of political parties. I refer him to the Rycroft review—let me say some of the things we have agreed and accepted that we will have: a cap on donations from overseas electors; a tightening of corporate donation rules; a moratorium on crypto donations, which will be of interest to my noble friend Lord Bassam; strengthened non-party campaigner and candidate controls; strengthened “know your donor” checks; and standardised political financing reporting. Any political party that wishes to adopt clean funding should sign up to those principles, and, when we bring measures before the House, I trust that the noble Lord will support them. I will look at what he said with regard to Labour Together, but I also say to him that we should try to take the party politics out of this and have an even and level playing field, so that all political parties know who has been funded, why and how, and ensure that those fundings are clean, transparent and open.

[The Earl of Kinnoull (CB)]

My Lords, is it not the case that one thing that has allowed Reform and Nigel Farage to get off a little here is the sheer complexity of electoral law and the whole area around this? We are about to start consideration of the 27th Representation of the People Bill, and the 26 others are not consolidated; is there not a good case for the Government to decide that we need to consolidate electoral law? In the simplicity that might follow that, there would be greater control over dodgy dealings in party funding.

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The Bill that the noble Earl mentions will probably now go before the House of Commons in September: it was due this week, but we have put the Hillsborough law in place this week, which I welcome, and that has been moved back. It is important that we have clear electoral law. He tempts me to talk about issues that are not my direct departmental responsibility, but I will reflect on what he has said, listen carefully to representations and pass them on to the appropriate Minister.