“Urgent” warning to ensure “next Senedd election is not corrupted” by dubious cash

 

The First Minister has said rules around political funding needs looking at as a ‘matter of urgency’, amid warnings that the next Senedd election could see huge spending from a range of sources.

Rhys ab Owen MS kicked off the debate by asking the First Minister, “What plans does the Welsh Government have to reform the rules on political donations before the next Senedd election?”

The factual reply came back from FM Eluned Morgan, “Donations to registered political parties are regulated by Part 4 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The subject matter of that Part is reserved to Westminster.”

Rhys ab Owen MS’s follow up query said, “I’m sure that all of us would agree here today that only those eligible to vote in UK elections should provide significant sums of funds in donations to political parties and candidates. But there’s a huge loophole at the moment: people can contribute significant sums through businesses.

“We can learn a lot from our neighbours. In France, there is no right for corporations to contribute at all, and only a maximum of €7,500 can be donated by individuals every year. Now, by the time of the next Senedd election, because of UK developments and international developments, there will be greater interest in the Welsh Senedd elections than ever before. It’s possible that individuals who have far greater wealth than the budget of the Welsh Government will see our elections as a dress rehearsal before the next Westminster elections. Now, it was in Labour’s Westminster manifesto to safeguard democracy by strengthening rules on political donations.

“Today, as we remember one of the architects of democracy in Wales, what steps is the Welsh Government going to take to safeguard democracy in Wales and to ensure that our elections can’t become a political game for billionaires?”

The First Minister replied, “The UK Labour manifesto, as you said, for the election did include a commitment to safeguard democracy by tightening the rules around donations to political parties. The Electoral Commission has also made recommendations to strengthen regulation in this area. As you are aware, this is a reserved issue, so it’s important that that happens at a matter of urgency. Because, as you say, we will go first, and I do hope that there’s a possibility that we’ll see a tightening of the rules before our election.”

Jane Dodds MS asked the FM if UK Government style ads would not be happening here, “This issue strikes at the heart of one of the biggest issues facing politicians and politics: a lack of trust and transparency. The influence of big billionaires and companies won’t just come through money but will come through media manipulation and political advertising. According to the Electoral Commission, in 2011, spending by political campaigners on digital advertising was a mere 0.3 per cent, but in 2017 it went up to 42.8 per cent. This number will only get bigger and bigger into the future.

“The lack of rules really lowers the tone of political discourse here across the UK. Last week, we saw the Guardian feature the launch of the Labour Party’s use of Reform-style branding to boast about deportations. This really was a new low in our politics. So, I’d like to ask the First Minister: would you agree with me that this was unacceptable and that we don’t want to see that happening here in our Senedd elections?”

The FM did not directly rule those specific ads out, “I think it’s important for us to recognise that there has been a shift in the way that political parties spend their money during elections. Attack ads are a matter of political judgment, and I think we’d all draw our lines in very different places. But I do think that there should be a level beyond which no political party should sink.”

Alun Davies MS carried on the debate, “We’ve seen how dark money from overseas has been able to corrupt our politics over many years. We saw the influence of dark money on the Brexit referendum, for example, and we’ve also seen how overseas players are able to dominate our politics and to set agendas with no responsibility and no ability for us as lawmakers and citizens to exercise any level of control. It appears to me that there needs to be a new cross-party consensus to ensure that our politics remains free of the influence of billionaires and also remains free for individuals across Wales to ensure that everybody has a stake in our politics.

“First Minister, will you lead a cross-party consensus to ensure that the next Senedd election is not corrupted by whether it be foreign billionaires or dark money, and not corrupted by those people who use social media in order to drive fear, to drive people, sometimes, in hatred, and also to ensure that the people of Wales are able to make a fair and free choice when it comes to electing a new Welsh Government next year?”

The FM replied, “There will be an effort to update the regulation of the spending of political parties at the Senedd elections to reflect the broader changes to our electoral system. That will take place from 2026.

“Now, there are already controls in respect of donations, and already strong regulation can be incurred by political parties at Senedd elections, but that’s mostly during the election time itself. So, I think that there’s probably a broader discussion that needs to be had.

“There has been a consultation on a range of models for a system of campaign expenditure that will work with the new electoral system. The Welsh Government’s views on the responses are planned for publication this Friday, 14 February.”