Political Parties: Donations from Abroad

Debate between Lord Khan of Burnley and Lord Maude of Horsham

Wednesday 22nd January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Lord makes an excellent point. A cap on donations is not a current priority, but strengthening the rules around donations is. By law, it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. We will take any necessary steps to ensure that those requirements are tightened and abided by.

[Lord Maude of Horsham (Con)]

My Lords, will the Minister give an undertaking that his Government will follow the practice in the latter part of the last Labour Government, where Jack Straw, who had responsibility for these matters, was absolutely meticulous in ensuring that among the major established parties there was consensus on any changes that were undertaken?

[Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)]

Any proposals that we bring forward are likely to require legislation, and although the Government have not included this in the timetable for this Session, we have promised to do it in our manifesto. I can assure all noble Lords that, once we have developed our proposals, we will inform Parliament and consult widely.