The Constitution Unit

Are the UK’s party funding regulations fit for purpose?

Episode Summary

An expert panel discusses whether and how the regulation of party funding might be improved in the UK.

Episode Notes

Political parties are central to the functioning of representative democracy in the UK, playing a crucial role during and between elections. How parties fund their activities is thus a vital question, and one that has been much discussed in recent months. New controversies have shone a light on long-standing debates about who can donate to political parties, how much they can donate, and the transparency of their donations. So what are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s party funding regulations? Are the current regulations sufficiently robust, fair, and transparent? And if not, how might they be improved? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.

• Jackie Killeen – Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation, Electoral Commission
• Lord (Mark) Pack – President, Liberal Democrats
• Professor Justin Fisher – Professor of Political Science, Brunel University of London
• Dr Jess Garland – Director of Research and Policy, Electoral Reform Society

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit