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Labour MPs are pushing for the Government’s landmark elections bill to be bolstered with a string of amendments that could cap political donations in the UK, launch a national commission on electoral reform, and introduce criminal-records checks for Members of Parliament.
Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, is proposing an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill that would limit donations from UK donors to a million pounds a year, Byline Times can report. Reform’s largest donor Christopher Harborne has given at least £12 million in the past year.
This would build on Labour’s new £100,000 annual cap on donations for Brits living abroad. Backers say the principle of opposing wealthy individuals buying influence in politics should apply not just to those overseas.
The relatively high cap of £1m may be difficult for the Government to object to, though they have previously rejected donation caps for those living in the UK.
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While the next stage of the bill is not set to be heard for several weeks, it is providing time for backbench MPs to organise and strengthen the bill to clamp down on opportunities for the wealthy to ‘buy off’ British elections. Unlock Democracy director Tom Brake told Byline Times: “The reason the Government has given for capping donations from overseas UK voters is because it gives them undue influence. Well, a UK resident who donates £10 million is also going to get lots of undue influence.”
Campaigners are also braced for a battle over Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), something the Government has committed to previously but which has no deadline for implementation in the bill. AVR would ensure that the millions of people currently missing from the electoral roll would be automatically enrolled, but the Bill only proposes trials with no date for when it would be rolled out nationally. Unlock Democracy is among the groups pushing the Government to go further and set a clear timeline for bringing in the ‘missing millions’.
Amendments Labour MPs Are Pushing
Alex Sobel — NC31 (National Commission on Electoral Reform feasibility report). This is by far the most signed amendment, with over 100 MPs – most of them Labour backbenchers – now backing it. Momentum has been growing within Labour to get behind proportional representation in recent years.
Likely leadership contender Andy Burnham has backed proposals for a national commission, meaning he’d have a ready-made mechanism for moving to PR if he became Labour leader in the coming months (Burnham has indicated he’d commit to electoral reform in Labour’s next manifesto).
Within three months of the passing of the Act, it would compel the Secretary of State to publish a report on the feasibility of establishing a National Commission on Electoral Reform. This independent review would assess the operation of the voting system for elections to the House of Commons and make recommendations for reform “to ensure that the voting system is fair, representative, and capable of sustaining public confidence in democratic outcomes.”
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It is seen as the most viable mechanism for Labour to back proportional representation, already in place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for devolved elections. It would publish its final recommendations within a year of launching.
It has become a broad cross-party amendment, with backing from Liberal Democrats, Greens and prominent Labour backbenchers including Chris Curtis, Florence Eshalomi, Helen Hayes and Luke Akehurst.
Emily Darlington — NC41 to NC47 (digital and AI amendments). These are far-reaching changes to the bill which would expand digital offences, aim to clampdown on electoral online harms, create a political advertising repository, grant the Electoral Commission powers over social media platforms, launch a Critical Election Incident Protocol and a review of regulated periods for elections, and introduce mandatory AI content labelling. It’s supported by Labour’s Dame Chi Onwurah, Polly Billington, Justin Madders, Jo White and Samantha Niblett as core co-signatories alongside broader support.
Jo White — Amendment 4 (candidates declare they will undergo a DBS check if elected). The reasoning is fairly simple: why should many professions including those for teachers, nurses, social workers and carers be required to undertake criminal-records checks but not MPs? Some would answer: because they work with vulnerable people as a core part of their jobs. But MPs come into regular contact with vulnerable constituents. The broader democratic question is: should MPs be able to elect former criminals if they choose to do so? This wouldn’t stop it, but it might make rehabilitated ex-offenders think twice. It’s supported by Jonathan Brash, Emily Darlington, Ruth Jones, Iqbal Mohamed, Jess Phillips, Peter Swallow, Tom Morrison and Adam Dance.
Cat Eccles — NC32 and NC33. This would go further and introduce mandatory enhanced DBS checks before nomination for parliamentary and local government candidates respectively. This would suggest that all those considering becoming a candidate would have to reveal information the police hold on them, as well as any spent and unspent convictions.