Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether UK firms which are registered with Companies House, whose person of significant control is US-based, and whose US firm has some UK partners, will be banned from making political donations under the proposed profit test on political donations.

We are legislating in the Representation of the People Bill so that companies that wish to make political donations will need to meet new eligibility criteria showing they have made sufficient profit to fund their donations; and that they are majority owned or controlled by UK electors or citizens. The aim is to ensure that political donations reflect genuine UK-based interests.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the new company donation rules operate effectively in practice across the wide range of company structures that exist. These changes strike the right balance between safeguarding against foreign interference whilst ensuring legitimate donors can continue to fund electoral campaigns.