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The threat of dark money goes beyond Brexit

Two and a half years on from the EU referendum, the result is still being discussed and debated. Arguably more important though is another story: whether the rules of the game are bust. The weekend...

Posted 07 Nov 2018

Why we can’t leave our democracy at the whim of tech giants like Facebook

Another vote is never far away. But even outside of election time, campaigning rumbles on. Each day, a lot of cash is spent influencing political debate. These days though, that’s not just people delivering leaflets...

Posted 25 Oct 2018

Are we about to witness an ‘arms race’ in Brexit spending?

Over the weekend, the co-founder of the Superdry fashion label donated £1m to the People’s vote campaign, with the funds set to be used to conduct “one of the most detailed polling exercises ever undertaken...

Posted 21 Aug 2018

Why money still rules the roost in British Politics

If ever there was a story which revealed the disproportionate influence exerted by big party donors, it was the on the front page of The Times on Tuesday. The article set out what has been...

Posted 31 Jan 2018

Referendum spending is a murky world – when it should be crystal clear

Negotiations on the UK’s exit from the European Union will dominate much of the political agenda this year. But 18 months on from the Brexit referendum, questions are still being asked about whether campaigners played by...

Posted 08 Jan 2018

Political parties are too reliant on big donors – and it has to change

Huge swathes of the public believe big donors hold too much political sway – and yet again it has been revealed just how reliant parties are on the cash of very few. The Mirror today published research findings showing that 39% of...

Posted 05 Jan 2018

Local spending matters when votes aren’t equal

Today we have seen the consequences of a violation of the rules on campaign spending, one facet of the way political parties are funded. Yet the Electoral Commission’s fine of the Conservative party for breaching reporting rules...

Posted 16 Mar 2017

It’s time to ‘take back control’ of money in politics

The following is a guest post from Steve Goodrich, Senior Research Officer at Transparency International UK. The views, opinions and positions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Electoral Reform...

Posted 24 Oct 2016

Charities have nothing to fear from the Scottish Lobbying Bill

This is a guest blog – the opinions expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Electoral Reform Society. MSc student Megan Elliot, who is conducting research on lobbying...

Posted 12 Feb 2016

Scotland needs a stronger Lobbying Bill

Remember the phone-hacking scandal? It seems long ago, but we shouldn’t forget how much we learned about the ways big private interests try to influence policy. The Leveson Inquiry dug up all sorts of stories...

Posted 07 Jan 2016