Labour MPs to rebel on political funding reforms, demanding tougher measures

Funding to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, including millions of pounds in cryptocurrency donations, has prompted MPs to demand amendments to the representation of the people bill. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Funding to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, including millions of pounds in cryptocurrency donations, has prompted MPs to demand amendments to the representation of the people bill. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock Labour MPs to rebel on political funding reforms, demanding tougher measures Exclusive: Demands include ban on cryptocurrency donations after controversies over Nigel Farage funding UK politics live – latest updates Labour MPs are to rebel next week over the government’s reforms to political funding, pushing ministers to introduce tougher measures including a ban on cryptocurrency donations and much lower spending limits. MPs on the all-party, anti-corruption group are canvassing support for four amendments to the representation of the people bill that would significantly tighten the government’s plans. They include a permanent ban on donations made in digital currencies, instead of the government’s current moratorium , a proposal that is finding widespread support among Labour MPs after the controversies over Nigel Farage’s funding . Liam Byrne, the Labour chair of the business select committee who is calling for a cryptocurrency donation ban, said: “With each passing day, we learn new revelations about the extraordinary lengths to which Reform UK politicians will seemingly go in order to avoid proper oversight of their finances. View image in fullscreen Liam Byrne urged parliamentarians who cared about the integrity of UK democracy to back the amendments. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/PA “Amendments to the representation of the people bill which my colleagues and I have tabled are vital safeguards against the wider threat that’s seen £200m come flooding in to build a whole media political complex behind populists in Britain. “We simply cannot afford to let our crumbling defences be undermined any further. I would urge any parliamentarian who genuinely cares about the integrity of UK democracy to back these amendments.” Byrne’s amendment had at least 20 signatures to it by midday on Thursday. Anneliese Dodds, the former Labour cabinet minister, has tabled an amendment calling for campaign spending limits to be reduced by nearly a third from £34m to £24.4m. View image in fullscreen Anneliese Dodds has called for campaign spending limits to be reduced to £24.4m. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing/Getty She said: “We now have an arms race in funding political campaigns. The public want to see limits set at a more reasonable level.” Police investigate £37,500 donation to Jenrick leadership campaign Read more Other amendments include one from Yuan Yang, an ally of the incoming prime minister, who is calling for limits on how much money a party can have whe