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Andy Burnham has confirmed that he supports capping political donations in the UK, putting him at odds with Keir Starmer’s Government.
In correspondence with a Byline Times reader who campaigns for political finance reform, Burnham said he wants to see a cap on donations to stem the tide of big money in politics.
He added that he would like to see a UK political donation cap reduced over time, and believes Westminster needs “wholesale culture change.”
The proposal for a political funding overhaul came in correspondence with Shaun Bowler, founder of grassroots democracy campaign WakeUpGB.
The Great Manchester Mayor, who is standing in the upcoming Makerfield by-election and is widely expected to challenge Keir Starmer for the premiership, told Bowler: “Yes, I do think there should be a cap on political donations. This would guard against the perception of any one party being unduly influenced or swayed by one person or organisation.”
“I am in complete agreement that there needs to be wholesale culture change in Westminster.”
“I would start with a higher cap but would definitely want to see that reduced over time… I do support the principle of caps,” he added.
The prominent Labour figure has long supported political reform, and has backed reforming Westminster’s First Past the Post voting system in recent days, calling for a national commission to develop plans for proportional representation.
Burnham ally and Compass think tank director Neal Lawson told Byline Times: “Big money always comes with big demands that skews democracy away from the many to the very few – Burnham is right to end it.”
It comes after Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne gave Reform at least £12 million over the past year, alongside fellow crypto billionaire the Hong Kong-based Ben Delo, who has said he is returning to the UK.
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Labour is introducing a cap of £100,000 on donations from Brits living abroad through its Representation of the People Bill – but has so far rebuffed calls to cap donations from those in the UK too. The elections bill currently making progress in Parliament is an opportunity to change that, campaigners say.
Burnham is Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election and has expressed his intention to stand in a leadership contest should he be elected.
‘The Political Scrubdown’
On Tuesday, campaigners from Clean Up Westminster staged a “Political Scrubdown” in Parliament Square, with performers wearing oversized masks of Peter Mandelson, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage to represent scandals from across the political spectrum and call for new laws to strengthen standards in public life and reduce the influence of big money in politics.
The non-partisan stunt called on the Prime Minister and MPs to use the Representation of the People Bill to help “restore trust in politics and ensure the UK’s democratic system works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful.”
Olly Buston, Director of Clean Up Westminster, said: “We brought our bubbles to the Westminster bubble. This isn’t about any one party or politician. It’s about cleaning up the system and making sure politics works for ordinary people – not just the rich and powerful.
“The Representation of the People Bill is a historic opportunity to clean up Westminster. But the Government’s plans have too many loopholes. We need to plug the gaps with a hard and low cap on all political donations. 92% of the British public support this.”
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Clean Up Westminster is calling on the PM to take big money out of politics by capping political donations to “stop our democracy being sold to the highest bidder.” They are also calling for a clear-out of the House of Lords: “No more handing out peerages to donors, and no more Lords lobbying for pay.”
“We need a political system that works for all of us, not just those at the top. That means no longer rewarding people who use politics for their own gain – whether that’s through mammoth donations to political parties, corruption in public office, or buying their way into the House of Lords,” Buston added.
Clean Up Westminster launched in recent weeks with a Westminster Tube takeover and “clean graffiti” stunt highlighting the influence of big money in politics. The group’s campaign launch video has been viewed more than 1.7 million times on Instagram alone.
‘No Intention to Cap’
Over the past year the Labour government has repeatedly declined to commit to a general cap on domestic donations, while moving on foreign money, shell companies, overseas electors and crypto.
When there were suggestions last year that Elon Musk might consider donating millions to Reform UK, reporting suggested the Government was looking at proposals from the progressive IPPR think tank that would cap individual and corporate political donations at £100,000 a year. However, a Government source played down suggestions the government was considering a cap on UK donations, the Independent reported. Ministers have since capped donations from overseas at £100,000 a year.
When Lord Prem Sikka held a debate in the Lords this February on the topic, a Government minister told peers: “There is no intention from the Government to cap [UK] donations at the moment. The new Bill is all about transparency. Political parties and other campaigners will remain able to raise sufficient funds to communicate their views to the electorate, while protecting our democracy against those who seek to covertly undermine it.”
‘Andy Burnham’s Return to Westminster Would Be About National Resilience’
The media psychodrama about Burnham’s potential return to Parliament misses a far more serious point, argues Labour MP Clive Lewis
In the debate, Lord Sahota also invoked the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s recommendation of a cap of £10,000 on donations to political parties in the UK, arguing it would protect participation rather than stifle it. This was rebuffed by the Labour minister, Baroness Taylor, who also rejected the idea of tax relief on political donations.
The £12 million for Reform from a single Thailand-based crypto billionaire accounts for approximately two-thirds of its total recent funding. Labour and the Conservatives have also faced repeated accusations of cash-for-access. The Electoral Commission reported £24.7 million donated to UK political parties in Q1 2026 alone.
WakeUpGB is calling for a £1,000 cap on individual donations, supported by a civic voucher scheme giving every voter £4 annually to donate to a party of their choice — “creating a potential democratic funding pool of £160 million and putting power back in the hands of ordinary people rather than wealthy backers.”
“People agree the system is broken but have given up believing politicians will act,” said Shaun Bowler, founder of WakeUpGB. “Andy Burnham’s words show that reform is possible. But politicians who take on vested interests need to know the public stands behind them. That is exactly what we are trying to build.”
Bowler is calling on all parties to commit to donation reform before the next general election.
The recent Rycroft review into foreign interference said that very large foreign donations that could have a game-changing impact on politics should be stopped. Minister Steve Reed MP warned that donations from overseas could be “so huge, it could change the terms of the political debate.”
However, groups like Unlock Democracy asked in response: “Why should anyone be able to spend millions of pounds to change the terms of our political debate? How is that democracy? Our politics should be driven by the voters, not by those with the biggest wallets.”
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