Defending Democracy
Public trust in British politics has hit an historic low, compounded by an unaccountable Westminster establishment, big-money donors, and foreign interference. From targeted online misinformation campaigns to billionaires using shadow funding to sway domestic elections, our democratic system is facing an existential crisis.
The Liberal Democrats have always believed that power belongs to the people, not foreign states, tech algorithms, or wealthy elites. Today, our members launched our comprehensive plan to defend British democracy, root out dark money, and rebuild public trust from the ground up.
Curbing Foreign Interference and Big Money
We must shut down the channels that allow foreign actors and billionaires to buy influence over our elections:
- Get big money out of politics by Capping Political Donations & Spending: Introduce a year-round national cap on political party spending, set strict limits on individual donations via a Royal Commission, and establish spending limits for local election periods.
- Ban Foreign Political Appointees from Donating: Prohibit anyone who has served as a political appointee in a foreign government from making donations to UK political parties for ten years.
- A dedicated investigation into US Interference: Launch a standalone review into US interference in British politics - including checking whether White House-linked figures are funding UK extremism - and require candidates to declare foreign gifts or income.
- National NCA Corruption Unit: Establish a dedicated policing unit within the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate electoral fraud, dark money, and corruption in Westminster and Whitehall.
Building Democratic Resilience and Local Power
Democracy is strongest when citizens are empowered to navigate modern information streams and hold leaders accountable:
- A Codified Constitution: Urgently convene a National Constitutional Convention to write a codified constitution that protects core British rights and freedoms against executive overreach.
- Countering Extremism: Counter rising extremism, violence and intimidation including through a community-led counter-radicalisation strategy that protects civil liberties, academic freedom, and the right to peaceful protest.
- A Second Leveson Review: Commission an updated Leveson-style review into media regulation - encompassing new digital media platforms alongside press and broadcast.
- Strengthening Citizenship Education: Upgrade the Citizenship GCSE, fund a Community Democratic Resilience Fund for youth services, and mandate "Community Safety Teams" on social media apps to tackle targeted hate and dis-information.
These measures build on our longstanding commitments to introduce Proportional Representation for Westminster and local elections, lowering the voting age to 16, scrapping mandatory voter ID, and replacing the un-elected House of Lords with an elected chamber.
The Liberal Democrats are ready to clean up money in politics, protect our election integrity, and put power back where it belongs - in the hands of the people.