Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance has the Electoral Commission given on whether the political activities of a party member is restricted to the examples given in PPERA 2000, Sections 1(4)(a)to(c) of Schedule 7, or may include other types of political activity.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission's guidance for regulated donees sets out what constitutes political activities for members of registered parties, under Schedule 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Paragraph 1(4) of Schedule 7 of PPERA 2000 provides a list of examples of political activities for party members and members associations for purposes of that schedule. The examples listed are non-exhaustive.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the answer of 13 November 2025, to Question 88726, on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether the Electoral Commission was consulted on the decision to cancel the council elections announced by the Government on 18 December 2025.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission was not consulted on the decision.

The Commission has been clear in its communication with the Government and in its public statements that scheduled elections should be postponed only in exceptional circumstances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK passports Reform Party member, George Cottrell, holds and in what name or names.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The information requested would be personal data. If any information was held, it could not be released without a lawful basis to do so.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the deadline for payment of inheritance tax from six to 12 months.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Government does not intend to change the existing, longstanding deadline of inheritance tax being due at the end of the sixth month after the date of death.

The Government recognises the general difficulties that some personal representatives may face in paying the inheritance tax due and HMRC already offers several payment options to help.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the letter sent to hon. Members in areas without Mayoral Strategic Authorities, entitled Rewiring the State: Statement from Cabinet, of 6 August 2026, what test of local consent will be used to ensure that mayors are not imposed on areas that do not want one; and whether unanimity is required.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The statutory process for the establishment of new Mayoral Strategic Authorities requires the consent of all upper-tier Local Authorities within the footprint of the proposed Authority.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2026, to Question 18054, on Members’ Interests: Registration, what guidance has the Electoral Commission given on whether donations accepted by a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in the Long Campaign period at the end of a Parliament, but prior to nomination as candidate in the Short Campaign, must be from permissible sources.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the answer given to Question 21248.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, on what date was George Cottrell first registered on the electoral roll as an overseas elector, and aligned to which constituency.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

Electoral registration officers manage the electoral register for their local authority area, including requests for access to and supply of the register.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has referred its investigation into donations to Reform UK to the Metropolitan Police.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Metropolitan Police Service has issued a statement about an ongoing police investigation. The Electoral Commission cannot comment further.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance has the Electoral Commission given on whether the registration of donations made to Parliamentary candidates prior to a Short Campaign.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission’s guidance for candidates and agents states that permissibility and reporting requirements apply only to donations received after the official date of candidacy. The earliest date of official candidacy is the day of the dissolution of Parliament (the start of the “short campaign”).

For incumbent MPs, separate permissibility and reporting requirements apply to donations towards their re-election campaign received prior to the official date of candidacy. These are reported to the Electoral Commission via the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2025, to Question 48132, on Elections: Expenditure, what guidance has the Electoral Commission issues on whether the £50 notional expenditure threshold also applies to (a) constituency and (b) list candidates to the Welsh Senedd.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

A party must report spending to promote party list candidates at Senedd elections. The Electoral Commission’s guidance states that the £200 notional spending threshold for party spending applies. For individual candidates, the guidance states that the £50 candidate notional spending threshold applies.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has launched an investigation into the donation made by Christopher Harborne to the Hon Member for Clacton and his staffer.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission is currently considering this matter under its regulatory remit.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to para 71 of the Explanatory Notes to the representation of the People Bill as introduced in the House of Commons on 14 May 2026, whether the Electoral Commission has been informed of which offences that the Government is minded to prescribe in secondary legislation.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Commission has discussed the offences that the UK Government may prescribe in secondary legislation. The Electoral Commission continues to work closely with the Government, through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on implementing the measures in the Bill.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has made an assessment into (a) unlawful family voting and (b) intimidation outside polling stations at the May 2026 local elections.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission assessment of the May 2026 elections will be published in a post-poll report shortly. It publishes data from police services on allegations of electoral fraud annually, and will do so in March next year.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission Response to Minister Dixon: spending limit review (13 July 2026), what is the proposed timetable for the Electoral Commission's review of party and third party spending limits, and whether the terms of reference include candidate spending limits.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The UK Government has asked the Commission to complete its review of spending limits by July 2027. On 29 August, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the First Secretary of State wrote to the Commission to extend the review to include candidate spending limits.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what is the Electoral Commission's policy on publishing the name of an intermediary donor to a regulated donee where an agent channels a donation for another ultimate donor.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

Where an intermediary is simply handling a donation – for example, when a donor gives money to a fundraising group with the intent that it is passed on to a specific Member of Parliament – the intermediary is required to provide the details of the donor so that this can be checked and reported by the ultimate recipient of the donation.

When reported to the Electoral Commission, the name of the donor will be published on the register of donations. There is no provision for reporting or publishing the details of the intermediary.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will make it their policy to issue standardised guidance to Electoral Returning Offices on how to conduct election counts.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission already provides guidance to Returning Officers on how to conduct well run election counts.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to ensure that sponsorship donations listed on their registers on their website are accessible.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Commission adds explanatory notes on sponsorship when publishing updates to the register.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided on the definition of journalism for the purposes of the Section 47(3) of the Elections Act 2022.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission’s statutory guidance on digital imprints outlines the exemptions that apply to digital material, including journalism.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has undertaken an investigation into donations and loans made to and by Britain Means Business.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Metropolitan Police Service has issued a statement about an ongoing police investigation. The Electoral Commission cannot comment further.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what is the status of the Electoral Commission’s investigations into donations to the Reform UK Party and Reform regulated donees by (a) George Cottrell and (b) Fiona Cottrell.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Metropolitan Police Service has issued a statement about an ongoing police investigation. The Electoral Commission cannot comment further.