Stella Creasy Proposes Cap on UK Political Donations

Labour and Cooperative MP Stella Creasy proposed an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill to introduce a strict cap on political donations. The proposal, designated as new clause 120, suggests an immediate annual donation limit of £500,000, which would decrease to £100,000 the following year.

Creasy argues that the measure is necessary to prevent wealthy individuals from exerting disproportionate influence over Westminster, stating that "Political power should not simply belong to whoever has the most money." The amendment explicitly exempts trade unions from the cap, provided they adhere to existing political fund rules, based on the premise that collective contributions from working people differ from individual multimillion-pound donations.

While the Government of the United Kingdom is introducing measures to cap overseas donations and considering limits on party spending, Creasy maintains these steps are insufficient. She seeks to establish a permanent, parliament-approved cap before the next general election. The proposal has sparked internal debate within the Labour Party regarding the support of individual donation caps and the protection of trade union funding.