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How would the government stop Elon Musk from donating to the Reform Party?

How would the government stop Elon Musk from donating to the Reform Party?

TRumors are growing that Elon Musk is considering donating tens of millions of dollars to Reform UK. It comes after party leader Nigel Farage met the tech billionaire at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion, alongside the Reform party’s new treasurer Nick Candy.

Asked earlier this month about ITV reports of a $100 million (£80 million) donation, believed to be by far the largest contribution in British electoral history, Mr. Musk denied it, but his response did not rule out another amount.

The government has said it is committed to reforming the electoral system to protect it from interference, but questions remain about what the system actually looks like.

What are the current rules regarding political donations?

In the UK, political parties are limited in who they can accept donations from. People who wish to donate must be registered on the UK electoral roll, which means they must be a British citizen or an eligible Irish, EU or Commonwealth citizen living in the UK. UK businesses can also donate.

The laws were initially introduced in 2000, partly in response to concerns that foreign sources could donate to political parties in the UK.

Although, on the surface, this suggests that Mr. Musk is already prohibited from donating, this is not strictly true. Mr Musk, who has been a vocal critic of the Labor government, could donate through the UK subsidiaries of his companies, which made around £90 million in profits over the past two years.

Musk reportedly considering making a large donation to Reform UK
Musk reportedly considering making a large donation to Reform UK (Reuters)

What kind of legislation would the government introduce?

The government has been urged to intervene to stop Mr Musk making donations to the new party, with the Electoral Commission calling on the government to tighten rules around political donations to protect the system from foreign interference.

Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the election watchdog, said linking donations to the British profits of foreign-owned companies was necessary to maintain voter confidence – a move that could cap the amount Mr Musk could give via the British branch of its social network. media company

According to The guardianthis is one of the possible measures considered by the government. But they could also consider outright banning donations from companies controlled by a foreign owner.

Would he arrive in time to block Elon Musk’s donation?

Commons leader Lucy Powell suggested on Sunday that the government could not rule out passing legislation to ensure the electoral system was protected against “many of the new problems that risk undermining our democracy”, but said indicated that he was not considering doing so as a matter of urgency.

Asked if the Government was considering blocking the donation, Ms Powell told Sky News the Government had “no immediate plans” to do so, but added it was already planning to introduce reforms of the electoral system later in this parliament – ​​something the party has promised to do. do in his manifesto.

She suggested that these changes would not take place until the next parliamentary session, which begins in the second half of next year, when the government will present its electoral bill which will also examine the age of voting and other electoral integrity issues.

This lack of urgency may stem from fears that blocking the donation could do more harm than good, playing into Mr Farage’s hands and giving him a platform to claim his party is being sabotaged by the establishment.

Incorporating the legislation into the electoral bill, which was a clear commitment, makes it look less like a specific response to reformists and could blunt the impact of the party’s lines of attack.