Foreign political donations

Is it right to allow donations from wealthy individuals to UK political parties? Should it be made against the law?

Parents
  • Ms Rayner was very vocal yesterday, too be honest donations of that amount should be banned. She stated last year that being an MP should be your only job, This is donations she has received this year, two are from property companies and she is the Housing Minister. It’s not only her, they are all still receiving money.

    ecent Donations and Financial Support (2026)
    • Signum Global Advisors: £20,000 accepted on July 8, 2026, towards staffing costs.
    • Humaiyra Jewellery Ltd: £10,000 received on July 16, 2026, for staffing costs.
    • Soha Riyadh Tawfiq Alsadek:
      £25,000 received in April 2026 towards the office running costs of Angela Rayner Limited.
    • Richard Greer: £5,000 received in May 2026 towards office running costs.
    • Ashley Mitchell: £25,000 received in March 2026.
    • Other Supporters: Past contributions include support from donors such as Martin Littler and Sir Trevor Chinn.
       
    Outside Earnings and Book Advances (2026)
    • Bodley Head (Random House Group): £61,500 advance (plus additional VAT payments) received for a book project.
    • Speaking Fees and Media Work: Received payments from entities like Deutsche Bank (£21,250 including accommodation/dinner), Propertymark (£20,000), Coex Partners (£20,000), and BNP Paribas (£10,000) for speaking engagements and advisory-related sessions.
  • In this context, I think foreign donations to the Reform Party may not be a bad thing, as the two main parties have had such a stranglehold on power for many years that it’s been very difficult, if not impossible, for other parties to break through. Over the past couple of years, people grew fed up with the Tories, and many turned to the Labour Party hoping for real change. This resulted in a large majority, which led to more extreme socialist and woke policies that many voters didn’t anticipate. It felt more like the Tories lost the last election rather than Labour winning it.

    The two-party system has lasted so long that people seem unable to change their voting habits, as voting for a smaller party is often seen as a wasted vote. I think a lot of people now feel politically “homeless,” unable to find a viable party they believe could realistically gain power. Naturally, the two main parties have enjoyed a cosy relationship for decades, where one eventually gets voted out and the other steps in, knowing its turn will likely come. They dislike the idea of this arrangement being threatened by new parties, which explains the strong negative reaction to the latest donation.

Reply
  • In this context, I think foreign donations to the Reform Party may not be a bad thing, as the two main parties have had such a stranglehold on power for many years that it’s been very difficult, if not impossible, for other parties to break through. Over the past couple of years, people grew fed up with the Tories, and many turned to the Labour Party hoping for real change. This resulted in a large majority, which led to more extreme socialist and woke policies that many voters didn’t anticipate. It felt more like the Tories lost the last election rather than Labour winning it.

    The two-party system has lasted so long that people seem unable to change their voting habits, as voting for a smaller party is often seen as a wasted vote. I think a lot of people now feel politically “homeless,” unable to find a viable party they believe could realistically gain power. Naturally, the two main parties have enjoyed a cosy relationship for decades, where one eventually gets voted out and the other steps in, knowing its turn will likely come. They dislike the idea of this arrangement being threatened by new parties, which explains the strong negative reaction to the latest donation.

Children
  • Yeah, in my opinion, we don’t have an immigration crisis. I think it’s scaremongering, and I still don’t understand what you mean by woke policies. 

  • Well, this is the problem, isn’t it?

    When you vote for Reform, you know they’re essentially oriented towards business and anti-socialist policies. But how do you vote when the so-called traditional opposition isn’t really an opposition at all, just a party that doesn’t want to upset too many voters by introducing ideas now considered “far right,” even though they used to be seen as “normal”? Even if Reform won the next election, I highly doubt they would secure a large enough majority to seriously harm the NHS. At the very least, they might steer us in a new direction on the immigrant crisis and roll back some of these ridiculous woke policies.

    I was just listening to this well-spoken, articulate young woman on the radio going on about the latest Ed Sheeran issue, where he’s been criticized for not speaking up in support of the Palestinian cause. But what about the many UK families struggling every day and the state of the NHS? In my opinion, middle-class people like her live in a bubble and jump on the woke bandwagon as a form of virtue signaling.

  • What woke policies are they ? Guess you’re not a NHS fan? Rolling eyes

  • Yes, I'd like to know what they are too?

    The first past the post system creates a two party system and makes it harder for smaller parties to make any headway, as does the adversarial nature of our politics, we need politicians to work together more for us the people who elected them and the country as a whole, rather than indulging in petty squabbles and punishing "the other side" and thse who voted for them.

  • think foreign donations to the Reform Party may not be a bad thing

    That would be disastrous for our democracy. Think how many politicians (not uniquely Reform politicians) have been accused of cosying up to Russia and what that would mean if their donations payed for time to be given in parliament to their interests, or to those of any other country.

    How on earth could it be ok to allow a foreign country to play a part in governing the UK?

    We are living in different times now and financial transactions can be opaque. I would much rather see a limit put on donations so that politicians would work for the interests of their constituents, not their donors. It’s also necessary to stop parties with the most money from dominating the debate, so that each party can compete mainly on the strength of their argument.

  • This resulted in a large majority, which led to more extreme socialist and woke policies that many voters didn’t anticipate.

    Please let us know what these 'extreme' and 'woke' policies are.