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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 what checks are carried out on the source of finance donated to political parties by British voters living abroad.

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
HL16311
Session
2024-26
Attachment
Written Statement
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
British nationals abroad Finance Political parties
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk