Billionaire donations to UK politics rise sharply over recent years

British politics is becoming increasingly reliant on wealthy individual donors, with the previous two parliaments recording a sharp rise in mega-donations to political parties.

A total of £179 million has been donated by wealthy individuals since 2019, as British media outlets report citing research by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a UK-based think tank.

The figures highlight the growing role of large individual donations in Westminster, particularly contributions of more than £1 million.

The research found that donations from individual donors accelerated after the Brexit Party received £10 million from Thailand-based billionaire Christopher Harborne and the Liberal Democrats received £8 million from supermarket tycoon David Sainsbury, who has since returned to Labour.

Between 2001, when political donation records began, and 2018, individuals giving more than £1 million donated an average of £3.9 million a year.

Between 2019 and 2025, however, the figure rose to £13.1 million annually, almost three-and-a-half times higher and significantly above what would be expected from inflation alone.

The research found that 72 percent of all donations of more than £1 million from individuals since records began were made from 2019 onward.

Guardian analysis also found that in some years, including 2023, almost £7 in every £10 of reported private donations to political parties came from wealthy companies or individuals who donated more than £1 million during the year.

Calls for limits on mega-donations

The figures are likely to fuel further debate over the influence of wealthy individuals in British politics, following recent donations to Reform UK by cryptocurrency billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo.

The two donors said this month that they had each given £36 million to Reform UK, one of the parties founded in 2018 by Nigel Farage.

The scale of donations of more than £1 million has prompted calls from some Labour MPs for limits of either £100,000 or £500,000 a year.

Some Labour members are expected to raise the issue at the party's autumn conference, while proposals for a donation cap could be tabled when the government's current elections bill reaches the House of Lords this autumn.

Downing Street has been reluctant to introduce a cap amid opposition from some trade unions, which have expressed concern that restrictions could also affect their ability to make large political donations.

However, the government has pledged to address concerns over the influence of mega-donors and has already introduced a £100,000 annual cap on donations from overseas voters.

Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of IPPR, said: “Something fundamental has changed in how British politics is funded. Million-pound donations were once exceptional. However, since 2019, mega-donor money has become a much bigger part of our political system.

“Reform’s extraordinary fundraising has accelerated that trend, but this is much bigger than one party or two enormous cheques. This is the Americanisation of British politics, where political parties can become dependent on a handful of people with exceptionally deep pockets.

“Britain should draw a clear line. The government should introduce a £100,000 annual cap now and bring it down over time, so that no individual can bankroll a political party simply because they are incredibly wealthy.”

By Nazrin Sadigova