Labour MPs are proposing to cap political donations at £1m, in a move they believe will be backed by the party’s leader-in-waiting, Andy Burnham. The amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, put forward by MP Alex Sobel, targets individual UK-based donors – with collective organisations such as trade unions, traditionally Labour’s biggest donors, excluded from the limit.
There are currently no restrictions on how much money UK-based individuals can give to parties. That has fuelled a surge in big-money donations, particularly to Reform UK. In the first three months of 2026, UK parties accepted £20.7m from donors, with Reform receiving £9.2m, much of it from two wealthy backers: Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo. Last year alone, Harborne donated £9m to Reform – the largest single donation to a UK political party by a living person.
“Labour MPs propose £1m donation cap, backed by Andy Burnham, as Reform UK receives £9.2m from two wealthy backers.”
Burnham, who is widely expected to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister on 20 July, has not publicly endorsed Sobel’s £1m figure but did say in an email to Shaun Bowler, founder of the grassroots campaign WakeUpGB, that “there should be a cap on political donations” and that his “gut feeling would suggest somewhere in the region of £500k”. The email exchange took place in May while Burnham was campaigning in the Makerfield by-election.
Starmer has not supported any cap, and the government could either pull the bill or let it progress to the House of Lords, where Burnham could then attempt to introduce a limit. Sobel’s amendment would allow the government to reduce the cap after a transitional period ending in 2029.
The Electoral Reform Society has said the current system “means that a handful of very wealthy individuals can continue to assert undue influence over our politics”.
As Burnham prepares to take office, he faces other internal pressures. Harriet Harman, the party’s former deputy leader, said the number of women in his cabinet is a “central issue” for female Labour MPs.
Meanwhile, a key vacancy at the top of the party machinery has opened up. General Secretary Hollie Ridley, a Starmer ally, is stepping down to allow a replacement “to work alongside a new leader once they are elected”. Burnham will hope to use the appointment to stamp his political imprint on the party. The National Executive Committee will choose a new general secretary, with a ratifying vote at the annual conference in September.
Among the names being floated are Joe Fortune, general secretary of the Co-operative Party, the sister party whose electoral alliance with Labour is about to mark its centenary; Christina McAnea, former Unison general secretary who lost her job last year; Sam Lehal, the party’s former chief operating officer; Emily Reynolds, who ran the Labour Women’s Network and left No 10 after the 2025 welfare rebellion; and Mike Lavelle, the North West director who organised Burnham’s by-election campaign.