Big-money donations poison British politics. We can stop the mega-rich buying access and influence | Gordon Brown

In Britain, it remains a challenge to understand how political parties are funded. Fighting elections can be incredibly costly, with tens of millions of pounds spent in the UK and billions in the United States. Traditional party memberships have been dwindling for years; the Conservative party's membership peaked at nearly three million in the 1950s, now sitting at around 130,000.

While new paying members are scarce, an alternative source of funding is available, coming from the wealthy – millionaires and billionaires. These individuals are funding election campaigns, claiming they do so to support democracy and their preferred party. However, suspicions arise that some rich donors might seek better access to politicians to facilitate their business interests.

Some of these big-money donors receive recognition by gaining a seat in the House of Lords. There is also the chance for wealthy donors to gain some access to government ministers. In the United States, the amount of cash in politics is far greater, making even massive British donations seem insignificant. In 2024, political fundraising committees associated with the Democratic and Republican parties raised a combined $2.3 billion.

One party in the UK that has suddenly received a deluge of money is Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. The party has commitments totaling £72 million ($97 million) from two billionaires, Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, both from cryptocurrency backgrounds and previously living abroad – Thailand and Hong Kong, respectively. The recent donations have sparked investigations, with one of the larger donations of £5 million to Farage personally under scrutiny. Farage claims the funds were for personal security, but others suspect other uses.

Farage is also involved in other financial matters, with secret footage showing top Reform officials allegedly violating electoral donation rules. Two key aides have been suspended, and Farage denies any wrongdoing. Despite this, the enormous £72 million donations from crypto-billionaires have raised questions about what wealthy donors may expect in return, should Reform UK find itself in government. Discussions about new rules, restrictions, or laws have begun, possibly limiting large donations.

The government minister responsible for elections and democracy, Angela Rayner, stated that billionaires should not be able to "buy their way into our democracy" if they don't pay taxes or live in the country. However, the exact legality of the situation remains unclear, as investigations are still ongoing. Transparency International, a global organization, published an article alleging that democracy is in crisis due to the flood of big money in politics, noting that the UK is following the US example: "One only has to take a cursory look over the Atlantic."