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Watch Observer Political Editor, Rachel Sylvester, MP for Cities of London & Westminster, Rachel Blake MP, Kamila Kingstone from Spotlight on Corruption and Duncan Hames from Transparency International UK, as well as Eliza Lockhart of the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI, as they discuss the Representation of the People Bill and whether measures to tighten rules on political funding go far enough to prevent wealthy individuals and foreign states undermining our democracy. Recorded on Thursday 5th March.
Is UK democracy up for sale?
With the single biggest individual political donation in UK history received by Reform UK in December 2025 and Elon Musk reportedly having considered a donation twelve times that size, and with the growing use of crypto and the difficulty of demonstrating the real source of such funds, the integrity of UK elections is under serious threat. The Representation of the People Bill will be this Government’s one chance to prove UK democracy is not for sale, but will they get it right?
Chair | Rachel Sylvester - Political Editor, The Observer
Rachel Sylvester is Political Editor of The Observer. She was previously a columnist and interviewer at The Times and chair of The Times Education, Health and Crime and Justice Commissions. She was named political journalist of the year at the British Press Awards in 2016 and 2017.
Rachel Blake MP - Cities of London and Westminster
Rachel Blake is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Cities of London and Westminster, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. She serves as an officer on the APPG for Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax.
Duncan Hames - Director of Policy and Programmes, Transparency International UK
Duncan is director of Policy and Programmes and leads the public policy, research and advocacy teams of Transparency International UK. His work aims to advance integrity in British public life and stop the flow through the UK of dirty money arising from corruption around the world.
Formerly a Member of Parliament, he attended Cabinet as the parliamentary aide to the Deputy Prime Minister. More recently, he completed a master’s degree in conflict, security and development.
Duncan is currently a governor of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, a director of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, and a trustee of an associated charitable trust.
Kamila Kingstone - Defending Democracy Campaign Lead, Spotlight on Corruption
Kamila leads Spotlight on Corruption's Defending Democracy campaign, advocating for greater political and electoral integrity. She works on issues such as lobbying reform, tackling the influence of big money in politics, and protecting the integrity of elections.
Eliza Lockhart - Research Fellow, Centre for Finance and Security, RUSI
Eliza Lockhart is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI. Her research examines matters at the intersection of law, finance, and global security; with a particular focus on how evidence-based policy can promote democratic resilience and protect the rule of law against foreign interference. Eliza’s current projects include whistleblowing, state threats and economic security.