The Dark Money Election Has Officially Begun

Sunak’s snap election means more dark money and hidden influence than ever before - we need your help to uncover it and change a broken system

So now we know. The UK will go to the polls on July 4.

A soggy Rishi Sunak struggled to be heard about ‘things can only get better’ outside Downing Street. 

As the rain poured, the prime minister recounted what he saw as his various achievements in office.

But one thing was missing from Sunak’s laundry list: the changes his government brought in to ensure that 2024 will be the dark money election.

Last November, Sunak’s ministers rushed through massive increases in spending and donations thresholds - without holding a single parliamentary vote (and with almost no media coverage beyond this newsletter and a handful of journalists.)

Under these new rules, parties can spend more during election campaigns than ever before. It is also now much easier to funnel money anonymously into British politics. 

Parties can accept donations of £11,180 - up from £7,500 - without publishing the donor’s name.

Remember, just £12,000 bought Richard Desmond a seat next to housing minister Robert Jenrick at a Tory fundraising dinner in 2020, where the property developer was able to successfully lobby for a planning decision to be overturned, saving himself an estimated £50m. 

It gets worse.

As we saw last week with Jenrick, foreign donors can still give money through UK-registered companies - even if the firm hasn’t made any profits.

As George Monbiot noted, last year MPs sought an amendment to close loopholes enabling foreign donations. Conservative MPs were whipped, forcing them to vote it down. 

The Conservatives have stripped the Electoral Commission of its independence. Meanwhile, shadowy unincorporated associations have, as the Good Law Project found recently, given £5.3million to Britain’s main parties since 2022.

Why has nothing been done about this? Maybe it’s because the Tories have benefited so much from dark money funneled through unincorporated associations.

We know one thing for definite about this election: it will be the most expensive in British history.

The Conservatives have said they won’t take any more cash from Frank Hester - but the party won't be returning the more than £10 million the disgraced tycoon has given them. 

Expect big promises to be made to big donors. We already know that a seat in the House of Lords - being made a legislator for life - is a snip at just £3 million. 

In March, Sunak gave a knighthood to Mohammad Mansour, the Egyptian businessman and former minister under dictator Hosni Mubarak who has given more than £5 million to the Tories and is now the party’s co-treasurer (something the Tories’ website, curiously, doesn’t mention.)

Meanwhile, ReformUK is being bankrolled by its leader Richard Tice.

Expect mega-donors to give even more money in the coming weeks. As we know from previous elections huge sums are raised in the weeks leading up a general election. We need to keep track of this money as it rolls in.

There is a huge amount of work to be done in the coming weeks. This newsletter is already working on important investigations, on everything from the dark money flowing into Tufton Street to secretive lobbying efforts and targeting in key swing seats. 

We have many stories that we need to tell.

If you aren’t already, can you help you support Democracy for Sale as we try to lift the lid on ‘the dark money election’?

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