Foreign Financial Influence and Interference: UK Politics

Ben Lake Excerpts
Wednesday 25th March 2026

(1 day, 9 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Steve Reed Portrait Steve Reed
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We will respond in detail to each of the 17 recommendations, including the one that my hon. Friend references. However, he is absolutely right: we can and should learn from best practice in other democracies to make our democracy as robust and safe as it can be.

Ben Lake Portrait Ben Lake (Ceredigion Preseli) (PC)
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I, too, welcome Sir Philip Rycroft’s work and the Secretary of State’s announcement today. I strongly support the idea of applying the donations cap and the moratorium on cryptocurrency donations to the devolved elections. Will the Secretary of State just clarify, to reassure me, that for those changes to take effect for the upcoming elections, we will not have to have a legislative consent motion from the devolved legislatures before the elections because, as others have mentioned, there is very little time for that to happen?

Steve Reed Portrait Steve Reed
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No; to reassure the hon. Gentleman, the provisions I have announced today apply to the entire United Kingdom, with immediate effect.