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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with the Electoral Commission on donations made through UK-registered companies (a) owned and (b) controlled by foreign nationals.

Stakeholders have raised concerns for more than a decade that our legal framework regulating political donations makes it too easy for determined actors to facilitate illegal donations, allowing foreign states to influence politics and decision-making in the UK. That is why, as pledged in our manifesto, we are strengthening the rules around donations to political parties.

In July, we published our Strategy for Modern Elections which set out a number of reforms to political donations rules. These changes will mean greater transparency in political funding, stronger protections against foreign or illicit influence, and increased public confidence in the integrity of our democratic institutions. This includes a measure which will ensure that in future, ‘shell companies’ will not be permitted to make political donations to UK political parties.

In the development of these reforms we have worked and continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission, and considered relevant analysis. We will legislate to bring forward these reforms as soon as parliamentary time allows.