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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 24/09/2026

With political donations reaching unprecedented levels, Phil argues that Parliament must act now to introduce a clear donation cap, strengthen political finance rules and protect the integrity of our democracy. Read the full article👉 labourlist.org/2026/09/brit...

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 18/09/2026

We'll be coordinating with peers of all parties and none to fix these loopholes and others – to ensure that the Bill is a truly effective safeguard for our precious democracy.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 18/09/2026

New ‘Know Your Donor’ checks should be made much tougher, in line with the strict standards financial institutions are held to. And the effectiveness of the Bill’s £100,000 cap on overseas donations is already being tested - to the tune of £72m.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 18/09/2026

The crypto donation ban covers parties but not candidates, and nothing in the Bill addresses the exchanges that sit behind those donations. The Bill also doesn’t address emerging risks of the use of politically affiliated memecoins or digital tokens for fundraising by candidates, MPs and parties.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 18/09/2026

Peers from across the House therefore questioned the absence of a donation cap within the Bill as it stands. Ministers have pledged that a cross-government “task and finish team” will review options, but we believe it is now urgent to include a cap in the Bill.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 18/09/2026

Political money is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, with an ever-greater hold over our politics. Donations of £1m or more were 1% of private giving in 2015. By 2024, they were 35%. This comes against the backdrop of two record-breaking donations - £36m each - to one political party.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 18/09/2026

Peers from across the Lords used the Second Reading of the Representation of the People Bill to say the same thing: the Bill leaves too much open or unaddressed, and the stakes are too high for it to do so 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 16/09/2026

Why should the taxpayer be asked to stump up, when we should be making the criminals pay? Get this right, and this Strategy could be transformative. Find the new Strategy here 👉https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-money-laundering-and-asset-recovery-strategy-2026-to-2029

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 16/09/2026

But the Government must go further. We need sustainable funding for the agencies delivering it, including the NCA and the SFO; a ring-fenced, multi-year Economic Crime Fighting Fund, which would reinvest a greater proportion of seized criminal assets back into those agencies that recovered them.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 16/09/2026

The APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax welcomes the Government's new Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy. There is real ambition here, including £550 million of investment over 3 years and 500 new officers across law enforcement and justice 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 14/09/2026

Two crypto billionaires handed a political party £72 million this weekend. That's more than every party in Britain received in donations across the whole of last year. Today peers begin Second Reading of the Representation of the People Bill. The APPG are backing amendments to secure our democracy.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

The principle behind all of these amendments is straightforward: our electoral rules need to keep pace with modern politics, modern money and modern campaigning. The APPG will keep pushing for a Bill that properly protects the integrity and fairness of our democracy.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

Finally, @emilythornberry.bsky.social argued that political donations should come from people genuinely contributing to British society, rather than individuals using tax arrangements while maintaining only a nominal connection to the country.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

Lloyd Hatton MP proposed closing another potential loophole by requiring new parties to face permissibility checks on funds above £250,000 already held when they register.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

@philbrickellmp.bsky.social argued New Clause 121 would future-proof any reduction in spending limits by requiring them to be assessed against three tests: fairness of elections, the impact on political parties, and public confidence in electoral integrity.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

@anneliesedoddsmp.bsky.social welcomed the Government’s commitment to expedite the Electoral Commission’s review of campaign spending limits, while making clear that the Commission must now move quickly to stop the spending arms race.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

@joepowell.bsky.social called for the Electoral Commission’s review to consider whether the current long and short campaign system actually works. Candidates can be selected years before an election, creating a substantial period of effectively uncapped spending.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

@elliechowns.bsky.social proposed New Clause 30, which would examine annual campaign spending limits. Campaigning no longer happens only during the short election campaign; politics happens online and year-round, so spending rules need to reflect that reality.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

Mark Sewards MP argued that “Know Your Donor” rules should go further, including checks on politically exposed persons and the source of donated wealth. If these checks apply when someone takes out a mortgage, political parties accepting millions should face equivalent scrutiny.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

Ex-Democracy Minister @rushanaraalibgs.bsky.social also backed New Clause 34, arguing that our rules must cover digital tokens and meme coins held in crypto wallets, bringing them within the same safeguards as other assets.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

@liambyrnemp.bsky.social - New Clause 34 would close loopholes allowing money to be routed through crypto exchanges, converted into fiat and donated on, while also preventing political donations through digital tokens and meme coins.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/09/2026

A strong set of contributions from MPs across the House during the Representation of the People Bill debate last week From tackling political donations routed through crypto, to strengthening “Know Your Donor” rules and regulating campaign spending - see some of the highlights below 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 13/08/2026

The £451m committed to reviving high streets is great news, but the underlying market still contains dangerous loopholes that favour criminal operators.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 13/08/2026

- A statutory 'Know Your Tenant' duty on commercial landlords - who currently owe no duty to check who they let to - Permanent closure for repeat offenders - An end to the £13 getaway - a company can be born for £100 and buried for £13, with no final accounts required

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 13/08/2026

This is welcome progress. But the existing toolkit still mainly produces fines, not closures: Machinize visited 2,734 premises and made 959 arrests, yet only around 10 shops were permanently closed in the first wave. Three things need to follow 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 13/08/2026

Member and former APPG Chair Joe Powell MP writes on this week's high street announcements - including new local powers over what opens, longer closure orders, and a permanent successor to Operation Machinize. labourlist.org/2026/08/a-re...

labourlist.org

'A renaissance of our high streets is in reach' - LabourList

The condition of Britain’s High Streets has become a stark symbol of economic decline and state failure. Labour are changing that.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 11/08/2026

With at least £1bn laundered through high street businesses every year, this is a serious step forward in ending the kind of corrupt practices that we all bear witness to in our communities on a daily basis. There's plenty more yet to do...

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 11/08/2026

2. The definition of a vape shop is being tightened so operators can't dodge the rules by posing as convenience stores. 3. Closure orders will double from 6 to 12 months, giving law enforcement the time they need to investigate links to organised crime - and stop rogue operators simply reopening.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 11/08/2026

✅ 𝑨𝑷𝑷𝑮 𝑾𝑰𝑵 The Government has announced new powers for councils to take back control of the high street - measures the APPG has been calling for. 1. New vape shops will now need planning permission, closing the loophole that let them open unchecked 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 10/07/2026

If you've got money, getting politicians to listen is often far easier than if you've just got a vote. That has to change. An independent review has backed reforms to drag lobbying out of the shadows. No more hidden meetings. No more special treatment. No more backroom deals.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/07/2026

It does not criminalise genuine mistakes or paperwork errors. It targets the deliberate laundering of foreign money into British politics. Foreign cash has no place influencing British democracy through the back door.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/07/2026

The upcoming Representation of the People Bill strengthens donor declarations, but leaves this loophole open. Our amendment makes it illegal to accept money that comes from an impermissible overseas source. It also requires parties to carry out reasonable checks on where donations originate.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 08/07/2026

A hostile foreign state cannot legally donate to a British political party. But it can give money to a British citizen, who then donates it instead. On paper it's a British donation. In reality, it's foreign money entering our politics through a middleman 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 07/07/2026

That’s why we’re tabling an amendment to the bill that writes these risk factors into the law. Know your donor should mean what it says.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 07/07/2026

The Government’s elections bill introduces new "know your donor" requirements for political parties. These are hugely welcome, but the bill as it stands doesn't specifically make them check some obvious red flags - politically exposed people and source of wealth.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 07/07/2026

If your bank took a large payment without checking whether it came from a high-risk country, prominent politician or the proceeds of crime, it would be breaking the law. Political parties? Not so much... 👇

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 07/07/2026

3/3 There are a number of questions which remain unresolved following recent reporting into Nigel Farage's finances and it is correct that these are able to be addressed in an appropriate manner, once the outcome of the Clacton by-election is decided. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Nigel Farage resigns as MP to fight by-election amid finances row

The Reform UK leader has faced intense scrutiny over financial support he received before becoming an MP.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 07/07/2026

2/3 Due process must always come first, as must the operational independence of the Commissioner.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 07/07/2026

🚨🧵 1/3 The APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax supports the important work that the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards does in overseeing the rules for all parliamentarians. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

thetimes.com

Standards watchdog set to interview Farage over £5m gift

The Reform UK leader is facing scrutiny over money from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne and his links with George Cottrell

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Reposted by APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax

Mark Sewards MP @markjsewards.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

It’s time to stop dodgy donors. I welcome the Government’s decision to accept all the recommendations from the Rycroft Review. Through my amendments, I will work with the Government to strengthen the Representation of the People Bill. Let’s get dirty money out of our politics.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 06/07/2026

Our amendments would fix all three. A permanent ban on crypto donations. A ban donations routed through intermediaries from impermissible sources. And a requirement for MPs to declare and verify substantial donations received before entering Parliament.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 06/07/2026

But lots remains unfixed: 💰 Foreign states can still pass money to a UK intermediary who then donates it legally. 🪙 Crypto donations are only suspended; a future government could reverse the ban. 🤫 Huge sums can still bankroll new political parties and aspiring MPs before transparency rules apply.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 06/07/2026

Dirty money has had a free run at British politics for too long. But today, that's started to change. The Gvt has adopted the Rycroft Review in full: caps on overseas donations, profit-based tests for company donors, and stronger checks on the source of political money. This is genuine progress.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 24/06/2026

And when one gets shut down? It reopens across the street a fortnight later under a new name. The Government has made a start: a new crime unit, longer closure orders, money for trading standards. But as long as we chase the shop and not the people behind it, it's whack-a-mole.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 24/06/2026

Here's the answer: a lot of these shops aren't really selling to you. They're laundries for dirty money. Real takings get padded with fake cash sales, so the profits from crime come out looking like an honest week's trade - all while dodging the tax that legitimate shops next door pay in full.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 24/06/2026

You've seen them on your high street. The vape shop with no customers. The barber's that's empty every time you walk past. The car wash doing a roaring trade in the rain. How do they survive? In a Westminster Hall debate last week, MP after MP asked exactly that.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 23/06/2026

With the UK taking on the FATF Presidency and engaging through the G20 next year, there is a real chance to drive international action. We will continue supporting the Summit and working with partners to help ensure it delivers lasting impact.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 23/06/2026

📅 Today was due to be the UK's Countering Illicit Finance Summit. The Summit may have been delayed, but the threats posed by dirty money, money laundering and economic crime have not been. The next six months should be used to build an even stronger event.

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APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax @anticorruption-responsibletax.org · 22/06/2026

💷 It's All 'Bout the Money - who has too much of it, where it hides, and how it buys influence... ✉️ Read our latest newsletter here: mailchi.mp/fpc/june-new...

mailchi.mp

It’s All ‘Bout the Money

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