Open petition: Ban donations & fund parties with a government multiple of fixed membership fees

Created by John O’Brien
Closes on 15 December 2026

Political parties must be prohibited from accepting financial contributions beyond a standard, capped membership fee, eliminating the influence of wealthy elites. The government should match these fees by a fixed multiple, forcing politicians to build a broad public base of support.

We believe the UK's political party funding model is broken, causing widespread cynicism as citizens suspect wealthy donors are purchasing policy influence over a fair democratic process. This crisis is backed by data: a recent study suggests 87% of the public are concerned about potential corruption. Another study found that Electoral Commission investigations have declined by 89% since 2019. Some parties receive up to two-thirds of their total funding from a small number of donors. No individual has ever been imprisoned for breaching UK electoral finance laws.

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