Millar gave the hypothetical example of a Russian oligarch’s wife, who is a British citizen registered on the electoral roll in London, making a donation in her own name. “The authorities will just accept it without investigating, because they say, ‘Well, she’s on the register, and she says it’s her money’.”
What’s the solution?
According to Millar, it is the system’s reliance on self-regulation by both parties and donors, combined with weak enforcement, that makes it vulnerable to abuse. “There is no state entity with the powers and resources needed to properly regulate the system. Neither the Electoral Commission nor the police are able to do it,” he said.
But rather than stronger enforcement, the answer might live in a move away from private funding altogether. In the European Parliament, the majority of party funding is made up of public money from the EU budget. This limits individuals with deep pockets – as well as foreign donors and even sovereign states – from flooding the system with large donations to buy influence.
In 2021 for example, about 80% of a typical European party’s funding came directly from the EU budget, with the remaining 20% sourced largely from member parties, not private donations. Allocating funds from a central pool based on the number of elected members reduces the need for individuals to be policed.
Of course, any change at this scale would require the party in power taking it upon itself to overhaul the system that got it there. Perhaps we shouldn’t hold our breath.
