UK Weighs Stricter Residency Rules for Political Donors

British officials are considering tightening residency requirements for individuals who make political donations, according to a report by BBC Politics.

The potential changes come after it emerged that Reform UK received a total of £72m in donations from two British crypto-billionaires who have both recently lived outside the United Kingdom, the report said.

BBC Politics did not name the donors in the excerpt reviewed, but noted that the scale of the contributions has drawn attention to existing rules governing who is eligible to fund political parties in the UK.

Under current UK electoral law, only those registered to vote in Britain—typically including UK citizens, as well as certain Irish and Commonwealth citizens—are permitted to donate to political parties, regardless of where they currently reside.

The report suggests that policymakers are now examining whether additional residency-based restrictions should be introduced to address concerns that individuals living abroad could still exert significant financial influence over UK political campaigns.

Further details on the scope of the proposed rules, including whether they would apply retroactively or affect other parties beyond Reform UK, were not specified in the available report.

BBC Politics indicated that discussions on the matter are ongoing, though no formal legislative proposal has yet been confirmed.