Write to your MP: Get big money out of politics

10 July 2025

WRITE TO YOUR MP

Get big money out of UK politics

I am writing to you as a constituent concerned about big money in UK politics and urge you to ensure capping political donations is included in the upcoming Elections Bill.

Our democracy is precious; the very richest shouldn’t be able to have outsized influence on political decisions. We’ve seen in the United States how Elon Musk has boasted about spending hundreds of millions to elect Donald Trump and went on to dismantle large parts of the US government to slash funding for research, education, and lifesaving international aid.

Big money buying influence isn’t just a problem in US politics. Transparency International UK found last year that election costs for our major political parties have increased to £100m – no small change. [1] The previous government increased national campaign spending limits from £19m to £34m (which doesn’t include constituency campaigns), intensifying the demand for donations.

Increasingly, donations are coming from a small number of ‘super donors’. Of the £85m in private donations to political parties in 2023 alone, two-thirds came from 19 donors giving over a million pounds each. Even 81% of UK millionaires think extreme wealth buys political influence. [2]

A majority of the public support capping political donations (61%). We need to make sure that voters have the power in our democracy. It shouldn’t be in the hands of a very small group of extremely wealthy people.

Please protect our democracy and act to limit the amount individuals and organisations can donate to political parties and candidates.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

[1] https://www.transparency.org.uk/publications/cheques-and-balances-countering-influence-big-money-uk-politics
[2] https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/uk-millionaire-poll-2025