{
  "id": 8505998,
  "title": "UK politics increasingly funded by billionaires as mega-donations surge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/uk-politics-increasingly-funded-by-billionaires-as-mega-donations",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-19T16:00:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/19/uk-politics-increasingly-funded-by-billionaires-as-mega-donations-surge"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Over the past two parliaments, UK political parties have received a surge of mega-donations from wealthy individuals, with a total of £179 million donated since 2019, according to research from the IPPR thinktank. The figures show that contributions from individual donors have risen significantly, with 72% of all £1m-plus donations since records began coming since 2019. This represents a dramatic increase from an average of £3.9 million per year between 2001 and 2018, to £13.1 million per year between 2019 and 2025. The research highlights that the influence of a small group of wealthy individuals is playing an increasingly influential role in Westminster, with the Conservatives' biggest donors including Frank Hester, who gave more than £20 million before the 2024 election, and Labour's Gary Lubner, who has given more than £9 million in total. Reform UK, which has received record donations of £36 million each from billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo, has also been affected by this trend. Civil society groups and Labour MPs are calling for a cap on donations, with some suggesting a cap of £100,000 or £500,000 per year, to prevent wealthy individuals from having an outsize influence on politics.",
  "summary": "Exclusive: A total £179m has been donated by wealthy individuals since 2019, research reveals British politics is increasingly being funded by individual billionaires with a wave of mega-donations having flooded into UK political parties over the past two parliaments. A total of £179m has been donated by wealthy individuals since 2019, research reveals. Continue reading...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}