Andy Burnham, the man set to become Britain’s next prime minister on 20 July, is being urged by Labour MPs to back a cap on political donations — a move that could define the opening days of his premiership and test his relationship with the party’s biggest donors.
Labour MP Alex Sobel has tabled an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill that would cap UK-based donations at £1m per individual donor, with trade unions excluded from the limit. The bill is back in Parliament this month and must clear the House of Commons before Burnham is expected to take over from Sir Keir Starmer. If the Starmer government pulls the bill, Burnham could instead introduce a cap once it reaches the Lords.
“Andy Burnham faces pressure to back a £1m donations cap as Labour MPs table amendment before his expected premiership.”
Burnham has already signalled his support for a cap. In an email exchange in May with Shaun Bowler of the grassroots campaign WakeUpGB, seen by the BBC, Burnham wrote that a cap “would guard against the perception of any one party being unduly influenced or swayed by one person or organisation.” He added that his “gut feeling” was a cap “somewhere in the region of £500k” — half the level Sobel is proposing.
The timing is sensitive. Reform UK received £9.2m in donations in the first three months of 2026, much of it from two wealthy backers, Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo. Last year Harborne donated £9m to Reform — the largest single donation to a UK political party by a living person. The Electoral Reform Society argues that the lack of a cap “means that a handful of very wealthy individuals can continue to assert undue influence over our politics.”
Burnham’s expected ascent to No 10 also brings scrutiny of his style and his team. Speaking at the People’s History Museum in Manchester on Monday, Burnham joked about needing “special permission from what people in Westminster call my Manchester clothes” — a reference to his signature polo shirts and Clarks Wallabees, which he may have to swap for a tie in Downing Street.
More substantively, the representation of women in his cabinet is “a central issue” for female Labour MPs, according to former deputy leader Harriet Harman. And Burnham may also move quickly to stamp his mark on the party machine: Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley has told staff she is stepping down to allow a replacement “to work alongside a new leader once they are elected.” Names floated for the role include Co-operative Party general secretary Joe Fortune, former Unison leader Christina McAnea, and key Burnham ally Liam Lavelle, who organised his successful Makerfield by-election campaign.
On a lighter note, Burnham has hinted at another early change: lifting the 1985 ban on drinking alcohol in sight of the pitch at men’s football matches. In a video posted on X, he pointed to Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram holding a pint at Everton’s stadium and asked: “How come these lads can do that in my seat here when we can’t do that at an Everton home game? There’s something wrong there, I think we need to look at that.” The ban already does not apply to women’s football, rugby, tennis or cricket.
Burnham also faces the immediate challenge of managing the “special relationship” with Donald Trump. The US president has said of Burnham: “I hear he’s extremely liberal, extremely, so that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea.” Trump has never met Burnham, who was until recently mayor of Greater Manchester. Burnham has previously described Trump’s politics as “poisonous” and warned of the “instability” he brings to the world.