House of Lords to debate donations law changes after Reform's £72m windfall

The House of Lords is set to debate proposed changes to political donation laws later on Monday, following a massive financial windfall of 72 million pounds received by Reform UK from two billionaires within a single 24-hour window. The unprecedented scale of funding has triggered an urgent cross-party debate over campaign financing rules.

Calls for stricter donation limits have intensified following the enormous contributions made by Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne. Both donors are British citizens who have previously spent significant time living abroad. The legislation returning to the House of Lords aims to introduce a £100,000 cap on donations originating from British voters residing overseas, with the restriction backdated to March 25.

These rules were originally formulated in a review conducted by former civil servant Philip Rycroft, designed specifically to counter foreign influence within United Kingdom politics. Additionally, the government has proposed a minimum residency requirement where the £100,000 cap would still apply to individuals returning to live in the UK for the remainder of the current calendar year and the entire following calendar year.

"A limit on individual donations was necessary."

Sharon Graham

Labour peer Lord Wills told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour of his intention to amend the bill so that donations originating from individuals residing within the UK could also be subject to a cap. Meanwhile, Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, emphasized to the BBC that implementing a strict limit on individual donations remains a vital necessity.