Arabic version: المملكة المتحدة تقترح حد تبرعات بقيمة 100,000 جنيه إسترليني للناخبين الجدد من الخارج

Overseas voters moving to the UK would be prevented from giving more than £100,000 in political donations for a year after their arrival, under new proposals from ministers. This measure aims to prevent foreign money from influencing UK elections and is part of a broader initiative to enhance scrutiny of political donations.

According to BBC News, the government previously announced a £100,000 annual cap on donations from British citizens living overseas backdated to March 25. The proposed changes would require individuals to be based in the UK for a minimum amount of time before they can exceed this donation limit.

The new rules could affect major backers of Reform UK, including billionaire Christopher Harborne, who made a £9 million donation last year, marking the largest single contribution to a UK political party by a living person. Another significant donor, Ben Delo, has also pledged substantial funds to Reform and plans to move back to the UK to facilitate further contributions.

In addition to the donation cap for new voters, the government plans to implement stricter assessments of company donations based on post-tax profits over the previous five years. This aims to ensure that only legitimate UK-linked businesses can contribute financially.

Candidates running for election will also need to demonstrate that any funding received before their candidacy comes from legitimate sources, with a requirement to declare donations exceeding £2,230. These proposals will be introduced as amendments to the Representation of the People Bill, which is currently scheduled to return to the House of Commons for further consideration on July 14.

Communities Secretary Steve Reed emphasized the importance of these measures, stating, “British democracy is not for sale.” He expressed confidence that the new regulations would protect the integrity of elections and counteract foreign influence on UK democracy.