Is changing donation laws for Reform retrospectively unfair or politically justified?

[Gav1961]

I wonder if others have a view on this:

I should start by saying I am no supporter of the Reform Party… not by any measure… but it sometimes we all have a right and indeed a duty to speak up when we see injustice. Even when done to those we might dislike. An old-fashioned notion I know, but a valuable one none the less.

So… The Labour party (temporality constituting the government) , who have received tens of millions of pounds from union member subscriptions over the years… so effectively from one body… have decided that whilst the massive donations to Reform are currently legal, they, the labour government with the approval of all the other parties, will make the receipt of such currently legal gifts, retrospectively illegal.

Mmmm…

Last month I saw that same government protest that the convicted ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, cannot be sent back to Pakistan when he is released from prison… because any law made to do this could not be retrospective…. It just would not be British.

OK I have my disagreements and issues with Reform… but does a legitimate UK political party really deserve to be treated worse than a convicted gang leader of groomers?

Anyone else see that as a bit odd, a bit contradictory, a bit self-serving… unconstitutional and illogical? Come on, don’t be shy… it’s just an opinion.

Funny thing is that whilst the cash would undoubtably have helped reform in its bit to run the UK there is one thing that would be more effective in swelling its ranks…. That is a blatantly unfair and self-serving retrospective law hamstringing their attempts to grow.

For anyone who doubts the unintended effects of grossly and manifestly unfair treatment of a one group over another (regardless of its actual merit)… study internment in N Ireland. The single most effective recruited campaign for any organisation… ever. But then not one had at the time tried to bribe the voting public with £5000 dollars each… 😊

People do not like unfairness. I would go so far as to say that Labour are walking into a trap… So predictable was this reaction. Think about it… maybe these guys never thought their £36m was at risk… or am I now getting a little conspiracy theorist?

What are the strategists thinking? Apart from being unfair, non-democratic and blatantly self-serving… There could be no better way to swell the ranks of Reform. The very thing they want to avoid.

Yep. Rather obvious

Well he's got himself into a complete fluster about that statue. I doubt he'll be thinkig of much else at the moment.

Also quoted in the Guardian;

Teresa O’Neill, a shadow local government minister in the Lords, said some of the measures in the bill were deeply troubling. “Even just the perception of partisan, targeted legislation risks breaking down longstanding political conventions and, crucially, trust in the system,” she said.

...but the perception of targeted funding donations from crip toe billionaires when everyone knows it's a power grab by the worst people.....that's ok? We should be powerless?
Can we get our big girl.pants on here.

Has that been confirmed? That it’s impermissible under the current Act.

If that’s the case then new amendments won’t be needed to stop them.

Can you link to your figures. Please?

Username+number seems to be a popular choice for Reform supporters lately.

BBC yesterday:

Labour has received almost £43m from trade union donors since 2020.

As a reminder, Labour regularly receives donations from trade unions - in an earlier post, BBC Verify examined how Labour received £5m in 2025, and £12m in 2024, an election year.

Ok so the issue is the ' optics'
These are the optics
A woman was assaulted and laughed at and two blokes have immediately coughed up £70 million presumably to promote more of the same.
It's very visible that party entertains and is attracted to abusers of women.
Millions of hard working people who pay tax in the UK make individual donations of a proportion of their much lower incomes which they choose despite it being a significant commitment. That looks much better than these sus large donations.
Why should people who live abroad specifically so they don't pay tax here acquire such influence? They should sodding well pay tax. At least a year's worth if not more.

There should be a high bar for retrospective legislation but this definitely passes the threshold, because it undermines our democracy.

@Clavinova , why DOES Reform need to depend so heavily on billionaires living overseas?

Whether they move back here for a short period or not, they haven't been committed enough to the UK to want to actually live here or pay their taxes here – not until they have hopes of a very specific government that they would have paid millions of pounds to.

It's not illegal at the moment, but the optics for these billionaires are terrible.

Also, why are both billionaires from crapto? If Reform were to form a government and make any moves which favoured crapto, or favoured billionaires, it would make Reform look terribly corrupt.

That's what I said.

Who are 'the worst people'?

The Labour Party is the parliamentary wing of the unions. These are optional donations made by individual British donors and we know exactly what they want for their money - better workers rights, fair taxation and decent wages.

This isn't remotely similar in scale or kind to Reform's obvious bribes.

You're Rupert Lowe and I claim my £5.

It's a Bill, not an Act.

That's the point. It has been written and is currently passing through the Houses of Parliament, but hasn't yet been passed.

£43 million in 6 years or £72 million in 2 days. Yep, exactly the same. Clearly.

They are invested, one of them gives millions to Oxbridge and other mathematical orgs as he got a first there after schooling here.

Plus other philanthropic causes.

And the answer to the question, has it been determined they don’t meet the current version?

Straight from the horse's mouth;

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/11/ben-delo-im-giving-reform-millions-make-next-election-fair/

0% of our MPs are foreign, and those who were born abroad are British citizens.

They are not convicted criminals pardoned by Trump who are trying to buy cryptocurrency legislation from Reform.

Why does parliament in Britain depend so heavily on MPs not born here or born to immigrant parents?

...like women being assaulted.
It's not something that should be ignored. How can you look at that and give someone £70 million pounds? And not think - I'm rewarding that? Especially if you are very intelligent
I mean it undermines all the other stuff. The optics are literally sxxt.

Why does that bother you so much? I mean, if you're worried about foreign influence, you should probably widen your scope to include MPs who have spouses who are foreign national. Like the PM. Or like Nigel Farage.

Or you could get over the xenophobia.

Firstly, what's your evidence that 11% of MPs are foreign nationals? Reliable source, please.

Secondly, can you not see the difference between foreign nationals who have chosen to make their homes in the UK and have been elected to public office by the British electorate and wealthy people who don't even live here but want to use their wealth to buy influence?