South Cotswolds MP calls for cap on political donations
Concerns raised over corruption affecting public trust in democracy
Dr Roz Savage, Liberal Democrat MP for South Cotswolds, is proposing a cap on all political donations in a bid to restore public trust in British democracy.
Roz addressed the Prime Minister, highlighting corruption in political donations, including Conservative cronyism, allegations of embezzlement in Scotland, and undisclosed donations from crypto billionaires and foreign oligarchs.
She urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to advance beyond existing measures and commit to capping political donations.
Dr Roz Savage said: "Corruption appears to be endemic in donations to British political parties. We have had years of Conservative cronyism. We have had allegations of embezzlement in Scotland. We have had undisclosed donations from crypto billionaires and foreign oligarchs. We have even had freebies dished out to some of the hon. Members sitting on the Labour Benches.
The Government have already cracked down on some specific sources of donations that favour their political opponents, such as crypto and foreign money. Will the Prime Minister now commit to restoring the faith of the British public in the integrity of our British democracy by putting a cap on all political donations?"
In response, the Prime Minister cited the Rycroft review, steps to cap overseas donations, a moratorium on crypto donations, and actions outlined in the King's Speech. However, he focused mainly on criticising Reform UK's leader over their own undisclosed donations rather than addressing the broader cap suggested by Roz.
Dr Savage said, “This is something that's really important to me. We have to look hard at why the British public is losing faith in democracy. It's just not a good look and it feeds into the story that politicians are in it for themselves, which from my experience is mostly not true. This step is necessary if we want to get the corruption out of British politics.”