No tracking. No cookies
Subscriptions
Subscriptions
Byline Times is an independent, reader-funded investigative newspaper, outside of the system of the established press, reporting on ‘what the papers don’t say’ – without fear or favour.
To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis.
Democracy campaigners have called for urgent reform of UK electoral law, after Byline Times revealed that the UK’s official elections watchdog keeps no records of how many overseas donors are bankrolling British political parties.
A Freedom of Information request from this paper asked how many reportable donations had been made to the major political parties by registered overseas voters since 2019.
Our request came after the last Conservative Government abolished the 15-year rule which previously barred British citizens who had lived abroad for more than 15 years from voting in UK elections.
Because being a registered voter in the UK also comes with the right to make political donations, this has increased the number of people able to donate from abroad. 191,338 people registered as overseas voters ahead of the 2024 general election.
However, the Electoral Commission responded that they do not keep any data on whether donations are from domestic or overseas voters.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Funded by Tax Haven Linked Firms as Party Seeks Tax Exile Donors
The party is seeking overseas funding from those who are “unhappy with the amount of regulation and tax in the UK”
This means that major donations could have come in from Brits who have lived abroad for more than 50 years, including those living in hostile states with an interest in manipulating UK elections.
The Electoral Commission said “Anyone who is registered to vote in the UK can make donations to political parties and campaigners. This includes those British citizens living overseas and means they are also allowed to donate to political parties and campaigners in the UK.
Political parties must report relevant donations, those that are over the reporting thresholds, to the Commission and these are published on our register of donations. This is an important part of providing transparency to voters over the money donated to parties.
When reporting donations, parties must include the name of individual donors and their address. However, the legislation, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, does not allow us to publish the address of individual donors, including if they are overseas.”
The news that the Electoral Commission does not keep records of overseas donors comes as Reform UK announced that they are going on a donations drive among wealthy non-doms in Monaco, the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland. Nick Candy, Reform UK’s treasurer told the Financial Times that “You have to be on the UK electoral register or the overseas electoral register or have a UK trading company”.
Reform UK’s Murky Corporate Structure Raises Legal Red Flags, Experts Warn
Nigel Farage’s party is structured around a series of opaque companies, but who is really behind them? Josiah Mortimer investigates
“There are plenty of people in Monaco, Switzerland, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, who can meet both of those criteria to donate”.
Candy also told the FT that “We’ll do events in restaurants, people’s private homes and on yachts”.
Rose Whiffen of Transparency International said “Concerns were raised when the rules on overseas voting were changed, that this would open the door to foreign funding of UK political parties. In such cases it may also be harder to detect individuals acting as a front for someone else and their money. Until the Electoral Commission discloses how much each party receives from overseas voters, the public will be in the dark about how significant this change has been. Without this data, our ability to monitor and safeguard our democratic processes is needlessly curtailed.”
Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption, said:
“The Government must get serious about ramping up the UK’s protections against the risk of foreign interference in our elections. Having accurate public data that allows analysis of that risk is essential for that to happen”.
“We would urge the Electoral Commission to ensure there is data in the public domain about how many donations are made by overseas voters, and how many overseas-based Unincorporated Associations have donated to political parties given the particularly high risks these donations pose for foreign interference”.
ENJOYING THIS ARTICLE? HELP US TO PRODUCE MORE
Receive the monthly Byline Times newspaper and help to support fearless, independent journalism that breaks stories, shapes the agenda and holds power to account.
We’re not funded by a billionaire oligarch or an offshore hedge-fund. We rely on our readers to fund our journalism. If you like what we do, please subscribe.
Responding to the claim that a high percentage of donations could have come from individuals in hostile states without the Electoral Commission being aware of it, a Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “There is no basis for this claim. Overseas voters have the same rights as domestic electors and are subject to the same counter-fraud measures, and all major sources of donations are published by the Electoral Commission.”
Commenting on Reform UK’s offshore fundraising drive, a Labour Party spokesperson said:
“Nigel Farage and his friends are focussed on jet-setting off to wine and dine on fancy yachts when they should be prioritising the needs of working people. You’re more likely to find Reform sipping piña colada coladas than delivering in your local town hall”.
Hawley added “Ultimately the Government needs to get on with bringing forward electoral finance reform at the earliest opportunity to ensure the multiple loopholes for foreign donations to enter UK politics are closed once and for all.”