Invasion ‘reveals loopholes’ in political donation laws

RUSSIA’S invasion of Ukraine has shone a spotlight on loopholes in UK donation rules that must be closed to block foreign influence, the Electoral Commission’s chief says today.

John Pullinger, the chairman of the Electoral Commission, the independent elections agency, voices his concerns in an article for The Daily Telegraph’s website.

Mr Pullinger writes that there are not enough safeguards in place for the public to have confidence that “unlawful” foreign money is not influencing the UK political system.

He calls for two reforms. One would see companies that give political donations have to prove they are making enough money in the UK to cover such financial support.

The second would place a “duty” on political parties to ensure they know where money given by donors has come from, similar to the anti-money laundering requirements for companies.

“We need proper transparency,” Mr Pullinger writes, in an apparent attempt to prompt political leadership into action amid a renewed focus of foreign influence in UK politics. In the months since the Russian troops launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine there have been numerous press reports of how Russian money potentially influences Westminster.

Mr Pullinger writes: “For over two decades, there have been laws in place to restrict who can donate to political parties.

“Legal sources of funding include anyone on a UK electoral register and

‘But does existing electoral law do enough to safeguard from unlawful foreign money?’

companies that operate overseas, as long as they are registered in the UK.

“The Electoral Commission supports parties to comply with the political finance laws, and enforces them. We also help voters see how parties are funded by publicly publishing details of the larger donations for all to see.

“But does existing electoral law do enough to safeguard from unlawful foreign money, or to protect public confidence in the political finance regime? To put it bluntly, no.”