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Written question asked by Lord Wills (Labour) on Monday, 13 April 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 April 2026. It was answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour) on Wednesday, 22 April 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Political Parties: Finance

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement the first recommendation of the Rycroft Review: Report of the independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics, published on 25 March, that there should be an annual cap on political donations from British voters living abroad; and if so, at what level they intend to set this cap.

Answer

British citizens living overseas who are registered as overseas electors are permissible donors under electoral law and may donate to UK political parties.

Political parties are required to take all reasonable steps to check that donations come from permissible donors and to report donations above statutory thresholds to the Electoral Commission. It is a criminal offence to accept, facilitate or disguise an impermissible donation.

Following the publication of the independent Rycroft Review, the Government set out (attached) its intention to implement the Review’s first recommendation by introducing an annual cap of £100,000 on political donations from overseas electors.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL16309
Session
2024-26
Attachment
Written Statement
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
British nationals abroad Finance Political parties
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk