Is it time for a cap on donations?
A majority of the British public strongly back caps on donations to political parties, a new poll has found, amid concerns over the influence of money in politics.
A Survation poll, conducted between 9-11 December 2025, on behalf of 38 Degrees, found that 57% of people support the introduction of a cap on the amount of money individuals or companies can donate to parties, while just 7% were against.
The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) has supported calls for a cap on political donations, given that under current rules a single donor can give an unlimited amount of money to a party at any time. There is nothing to stop a multi-billionaire donating £100 million (or more) to a political party. It should not be possible for anyone to buy that much influence in our democracy, the campaign group says.
It comes as it was also revealed that Reform had secured the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. The party received a record £9m donation from cryptocurrency investor and aviation entrepreneur Christopher Harborne.
The ERS has suggested three different levels at which donations could be capped. It says that a cap at around £1,000,000 per year would still allow political parties to receive sizeable contributions, but it would put a clear boundary around the influence of the very wealthiest citizens.
It also suggests a £100,000 cap saying that parties would then have to rely on a broader donor base and adds: “This is a model that begins to rebalance power. It reduces the risk that policy priorities are driven by the financial interests of a small elite, and instead are focused on the health of the broader economy. It is a step towards a healthier political culture.”
The Committee on Standards in Public Life has previously recommended a £10,000 cap on donations from any individual or organisation in any year, saying that a cap of £10,000 would end the era in which political parties can rely on rich benefactors.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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