Correspondence

Letter to the Electoral Commission: spending limits review (29 August 2026)

Published 1 September 2026

Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
2 Marsham Street 
London 
SW1P 4DF

Rt Hon Louise Haigh MP
First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS

Vijay Rangarajan
Chief Executive, Electoral Commission
3 Bunhill Row
London
EC1Y 8YZ

29 August 2026

Dear Vijay,

The Prime Minister is clear that we must have stronger measures in place to ensure our democracy is not for sale.

Following on from the previous Minister for Democracy’s letter to you of 10 July 2026, we wanted to reiterate the Government’s concerns, shared by many members of the public and parliamentarians, about the rise in the volume and concentration of money in UK politics. We have to limit the way financial power can end up dominating political power, to get to a politics that works for all people in all places.

We believe spending limits on parties and candidates are too high, and ought to be reduced.

We appreciate your cooperation on the review and other work you are undertaking, alongside your duties as the independent electoral regulator. It is crucial for the health and protection of our democracy that you are empowered to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity.

We wholeheartedly believe that political campaigning is crucial for a healthy democracy, but that campaigning has to be fair. We believe that it is necessary to limit the spend on campaigning to promote fairness and encourage parties to shift focus firmly on the needs of the voters.

We have seen the money in our political system increase drastically in recent years. Spending limits for political parties were increased by 80% in 2023, from £19.5m to £34m, which led to parties spending £94m at the 2024 General Election – the most expensive UK General Election in history. The public are right to be concerned about the influence of big money in our politics.

When spending limits were previously raised, the Electoral Commission emphasised it ‘had not seen evidence’ to support the inflation-related changes and that ‘any changes to spending or reporting thresholds must be supported by rigorous analysis, including on the likely impact on public confidence and transparency’.

At the time, many also raised concerns that the last uprating exercise would greatly influence the impact of money on UK politics. Due to the urgency of the need to change the way we do politics, we therefore ask that you provide recommendations to government by July 2027 at the latest, and sooner if possible.

Given the vast sums of money we have seen flow into politics, we would also ask that you expand your current review and include the spending limits of candidates. This will ensure that the whole electoral spending framework is scrutinised and fit for purpose for the modern campaigning world we see today.

It is crucial that as the independent regulator for elections you take a view on this and impartially review the evidence to help government identify whether there is a case for reform in this area.

We look forward to our continued working together.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Rt Hon Louise Haigh MP
First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster