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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to prevent donations being funnelled through (a) trade unions and (b) other third parties to evade the overseas contributors donations cap.

Under reforms brought forward by the Representation of the People Bill, recipients of political donations will be required to undertake statutory permissibility checks and, for higher-value donations, proportionate Know Your Donor due diligence to understand who is behind a donation and identify the risk of an illegitimate source of funds.

Where information gives a recipient reason to doubt a donor’s declaration or the true source of funds, they must return the donation.

The Electoral Commission, alongside other enforcement agencies, will be responsible for ensuring that the law is abided by.