Labour MPs are proposing a £1m cap on political donations, an amendment they believe Andy Burnham will support when he becomes prime minister later this month. Alex Sobel, the Labour MP behind the plan, has tabled it to the Representation of the People Bill, which is back in Parliament this month. There are currently no restrictions on UK-based donations, and Reform UK received £9.2m in the first three months of 2026 — much of it from two wealthy backers, Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo. Burnham has already said in an email that “there should be a cap on political donations”, adding that it “would guard against the perception of any one party being unduly influenced or swayed by one person or organisation”. He suggested a level “somewhere in the region of £500k”, but Sobel’s amendment sets the cap at £1m and would apply only to individual donors, not trade unions. Sir Keir Starmer has not supported such a cap, and the bill is due to finish its Commons stages before Burnham is expected to take over on 20 July. The Starmer government could pull the bill and wait, or Burnham could try to bring in a cap once it reaches the Lords.
Harriet Harman, the party’s former deputy leader, has warned that the number of women in Burnham’s cabinet is a “central issue” for female Labour MPs. Burnham has also pledged to build more houses — a promise that comes as rising numbers of young people in Cornwall live in vans because housing costs have soared. The prime minister-in-waiting has said he wants Labour to commit to ditching the UK’s “first past the post” voting system in the next manifesto. The singer Jamie Webster, who has spent time with Burnham at Glastonbury, said the fellow Scouser “will give the north a voice” and “makes politics a bit more approachable”.
“Andy Burnham expected to become PM; Labour MPs propose £1m donations cap and cabinet gender balance looms.”
Burnham will also want to stamp his mark on the party’s machine. Labour’s general secretary, Hollie Ridley, is stepping down to allow a replacement to work alongside the new leader. The favourite to succeed her is Joe Fortune, general secretary of the Co-operative Party, who would be a natural fit given Burnham is the first Labour and Co-Op MP to lead the party. The National Executive Committee will choose a new general secretary, with a ratifying vote at September’s annual conference. The vacancy offers Burnham an early chance to shape the party’s fundraising, electioneering and internal governance — but the unresolved question of the donations cap, and the timing of the bill, could define his first weeks in office.