Electoral Commission
Updated 28 October 2026
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Representation of the People Bill 2026: The Electoral Commission
We believe that robust regulation and enforcement of political finance rules is crucial for ensuring the integrity of elections and combatting the threat of foreign interference. As the regulator, the role of the Electoral Commission is invaluable in upholding trust in our democracy.
To maximise the impact of reforms to political finance rules, we intend to strengthen the role and powers of the Commission. Through addressing enforcement gaps and expanding the Commission’s investigatory and civil sanctioning powers, our reforms will ensure that enforcement provides a clear deterrent against breaking the law, whilst remaining proportionate.
Summary of the measures
Stronger sanctions
A robust political finance framework must be underpinned by a strong deterrent against serious malpractice. The current maximum fine the Electoral Commission can impose, just £20,000 per offence, is insufficient and can be regarded by larger parties as merely a ‘cost of doing business’. We therefore intend, through secondary legislation, to increase this limit to £500,000 per offence (with safeguards to protect against the risk of large fines placing a disproportionate burden on smaller parties with fewer resources) to create a more meaningful deterrent against serious breaches of the rules.
More effective enforcement
Alongside the increased maximum fine, we will foster an environment of effective and proportionate enforcement by extending the Commission’s remit to cover candidate, local third-party and recall petition offences. At present, these can only be pursued through the police and the courts, which often leads to an enforcement gap since criminal prosecution is usually considered inappropriate or not in the public interest. Extending the Commission’s remit will close this gap and improve public confidence in the regime.
Concurrently, we will also reclassify administrative offences, so that in most cases, they are enforceable through civil sanctions by the Commission rather than through criminal prosecution, making the system fairer and more proportionate.
The Bill also extends the Commission’s powers to require disclosure of information relating to income and expenditure outside of a formal investigation. By expanding this power beyond specified regulated entities to any person or organisation, the Bill enables the Commission to monitor compliance more proactively, support timely regulation during election periods, and take a more proportionate and effective approach to enforcement. It also allows issues to be resolved, where appropriate, without the need to launch a full investigation, and enables the Commission to establish more quickly whether there are grounds to suspect an offence requiring further action.
Improved ways of working
To underpin effective enforcement and strong deterrence, we will strengthen the Commission’s operations to make enforcement more effective and responsive. This includes establishing a broad, reciprocal information sharing gateway between the Commission and relevant public authorities, improving collaboration on cross-cutting issues such as digital campaigning, data protection and foreign interference.
Separately, the Commission will assume responsibility from the courts for granting permission for campaigners to pay late or disputed invoices from suppliers. This will streamline the application process and make compliance easier, particularly for smaller campaigners and volunteers, while ensuring that the rules are still properly upheld.
More consistent and transparent reporting
To strengthen transparency and oversight, the Bill introduces a more standardised approach to political finance reporting, by enabling the Electoral Commission to require campaign expenditure returns to be submitted in a standardised format. This will make campaign finance information easier to access, scrutinise and compare, supporting public confidence in the integrity of the political finance regime.
Bolstering the Electoral Commission’s independence
The Bill will also repeal the provisions allowing ministers to designate a Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission. The Statement sets out the Government’s strategic and policy priorities and places a legal duty on the Commission to have regard to it and report annually on action taken in consequence of it. Removing this framework will put beyond doubt the Commission’s operational independence and restore confidence in its ability to oversee elections and regulate political finance without fear or favour, while preserving its accountability to Parliament through the Speaker’s Committee and other established scrutiny mechanisms.