Political Parties: Donors
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his department's factsheet, Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing, of 2 March 2026, and to the statement the company or LLP donating will need to have demonstrated making sufficient revenue in the three years prior to the year in which the donation is received to justify its donation, whether companies which are less than three years old will be permitted to make political donations.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
The government’s position on political donation thresholds and donor permissibility is set out in legislation and in the Representation of the People Bill. The Electoral Commission will reflect any necessary changes in their guidance.
In terms of unlimited companies, where statements are not available on Companies House the company must provide revenue statements to political parties in order to make a donation.
The new rules will not exclude companies less than three years old. The reference in the factsheet to a three‑year period is intended as a window of time for assessing whether a company can demonstrate sufficient revenue. It does not operate as an age‑based restriction. Companies will be able to make political donations, provided they are able to demonstrate sufficient revenue and meet the other eligibility criteria set out in legislation.
Where a company is majority‑owned or controlled by another company, the donating company must meet the eligibility criteria in its own right. A company that does not meet those criteria would be impermissible, regardless of whether the owning company itself is permissible.
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