Reaction to the Representation of the People Bill from the Resilient Democracy Network.

On February 12th 2026, Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for  Housing, Communities and Local Government presented the Representation of the People Bill for its first reading. The Bill makes provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds and the registration of voters as well as provisions about political expenditure and political donations.

Ben Rich, CE of Radix Big Tent calls for a cap on political donations: "For less than the cost of a premiership footballer, a billionaire can turn our electoral system on its head.  There is widespread public and Parliamentary support for an annual cap on political donations - whether from legitimate or illegitimate sources - to prevent the rich and powerful from distorting UK elections with outsized donations.  No one needs to be able to give a million pounds to a political party.  Even if the Bill passes the Musk test, it fails the Harborne test.”

Christopher Harborne is the Thai based crypto-financier who gave £9million to Reform UK in 2025.

Tom Brake Chief Executive of Unlock Democracy says, 'This is a good day for democracy - but not as good as it could have been. At a time of global democratic backsliding, when US lawmakers are trying to make it harder to vote and harder to register, this package of common-sense measures will go some way to strengthening participation and trust in our politics. But further steps are needed before the Bill becomes law. The government’s decision not to restore the independence of the Electoral Commission is a baffling omission. Public confidence depends on the Electoral Commission being independent of ministers and answerable to Parliament, not the government of the day.  Labour’s apparent abandonment of its principled stance in opposition - and briefly in government - leaves the watchdog highly vulnerable to political pressure. We hope ministers will see the error of their ways before it’s too late.'

Unlock Democracy further welcome measures to lower the voting age, improve voter registration  and on political donations but also regret the lack of a donations cap.

Transparency International UK have welcomed new laws to stop foreign donations being hidden in shell companies but warned that without donation caps outsized influence of mega-donors remains. The anti-corruption experts welcom measures in the bill including strengthened rules on company donations, new “Know Your Donor” guidance, and tighter requirements for unincorporated associations but warn the lack of action on big money donations means any legislation does not go far enough to protect our democracy and restore trust in UK politics. 

Duncan Hames, Director of Policy, Transparency International UK says, 'Legislation to close the dark money loopholes in British politics is long overdue, and this bill takes some welcome steps. But it does not go far enough — either to achieve its stated ambitions or to contend with the biggest threats to our democracy. "Public trust in our politics is already perilously low and these new rules will still allow the super-rich to buy political influence through large donations. Until that changes, trust will only continue to fall. MPs now have a choice: settle for half-measures or use this bill to set a meaningful cap on individual donations, reduce campaign spending limits, and fully restore the independence of the Electoral Commission. If the Government is serious about restoring trust, this is the moment to prove it.'

The UK Anti-Corruption Coalition is urging the Government to go further in its ambition to “usher in a new era for our democracy” at this watershed moment in our politics.

Dr. Susan Hawley, Co-Chair of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption, says, 'It is crucial that the government gets this once-in-a-generation legislation right to protect the very future of UK democracy. Inaction on measures like the independence of the Electoral Commission, crypto donations, donation caps, and effective criminal offences will be a gravely missed opportunity. MPs must hold the government to account for ensuring the Bill is strengthened as it goes through Parliament, and we at the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition stand ready to support that work.'

Gavin Hayman, Co-Chair of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and Executive Director of the Open Contracting Partnership, says 'The last few years in politics have seen scandal after scandal, and the public is fed up. If our government is serious about cleaning this up, it needs to take bold action, not make tepid, technocratic fixes to a broken system. Now is the moment for that ambition to materialise.'

Will Snell, Chief Executive of the Fairness Foundation says, 'The Representation of the People Bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make our democracy fairer and fit for the future. Yet by refusing to include a cap on political donations, the Government has stopped short of the reforms needed to genuinely rebalance power in our politics. It is right that the Bill strengthens checks on political donations, and ensures donors have a genuine connection to the UK. But stronger checks are not the same as a fair say. Without limits on donations, wealth will still continue to buy disproportionate influence.'

The Migrant Democracy Project says 'The Elections Bill fails to meet the Government's own goal to "create a fair, secure and inclusive democracy" as it continues to keep millions of residents locked out of the ballot box. Whilst votes at 16 across all elections is a great step towards modernising our elections, without extending the franchise to all qualifying foreign residents, the Bill fails to fully bring England and Northern Ireland with reforms already adopted in Scotland and Wales. When these devolved nations lowered the franchise to 16-year olds, they also extended the right to vote to all residents. The Elections Bill is the opportunity to give the vote to over 1.2 million residents who have no right to vote at all. Migrant Democracy Project calls for amendments to the Bill to extend the franchise and residents can write to their MPs here."

Radix Big Tent focuses on catalytic reforms to complex economic, political and social systems to drive change.  On 5th March 1pm online join Observer Political Editor, Rachel Sylvester, MP for Cities of London & Westminster, Rachel Blake MP, Kamila Kingstone from Spotlight on Corruption and Rose Zussman from Transparency International, as well as Eliza Lockhart of the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI, as they discuss the upcoming 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. 

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