Lib Dems warn Burnham must “walk the walk” on cleaning up politics after Labour blocks political donation cap

2 Sep 2026

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

Responding to the Government’s decision to vote down the Liberal Democrat amendment for a cap on political donations, tackle corruption and remove big money from Westminster, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson, Lisa Smart MP, said:

“Just yesterday, Burnham promised that he would do politics differently. Despite his words, Labour has shown real timidity here. Only the Liberal Democrats are serious about tackling the systems of cronyism and corruption at the heart of Westminster.

“We can't fix our country if the Government refuses to fix our broken politics - it needs to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk. Angela Rayner has stated that the Government is committed to returning to issues in the Lords, and so we hope that Labour will finally show courage and deliver this crucial amendment when we vote for it again. We won't let this go.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Liberal Democrat amendment here (NC88):

“Proposals for a Royal Commission on political donations and campaign

expenditure

(1) Within three months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must

publish proposals for the establishment of a Royal Commission to consider—

(a) the merits of a cap on political donations, and the level at which such

a cap should be set, and

(b) the effectiveness of existing limits on campaign expenditure, including

the appropriateness of the time period during which those limits apply.

(2) Any proposals made under this section must specify that the Royal Commission

should publish its recommendations for a cap on political donations within

twelve months of being established.

(3) Proposals published under this section must include proposals for the Royal

Commission’s—

(a) terms of reference,

(b) membership, and

(c) funding.”

Member's explanatory statement:

This new clause requires the Secretary of State to put forward proposals to establish a Royal

Commission to consider and make recommendations for a cap on political donations, as well as the effectiveness of existing campaign expenditure limits.