Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums (Overseas Electors Donations) Bill

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Amend the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000 so as to prohibit overseas electors from making certain donations to political parties, and for connected purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Amendment of the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000

(1) The Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000 is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 54(2)(a), after “register”, insert “, apart from an individual registered as an overseas elector”.

(3) In section 54, insert a new subsection (8A) as follows—

“(8A) In this section, “overseas elector”—

(a) means a voter entitled to be included on an electoral register under the Overseas Electors Act 2022, and

(b) does not include a voter who has a service qualification (within the meaning given by section 14 of the Representation of the People Act 1983).”

2 Extent

(1) Any amendment or repeal made by this Act has the same extent as the provision amended or repealed.

(2) Subject to subsection (1) above, this Act extends to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

3 Commencement

This Act comes into force on the first day of the period for which a report is to be prepared under part IV of the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000 next beginning after this Act is passed.

4 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums (Overseas Electors Donations) Act 2024.

This Bill was written by Her Grace the Duchess of Essex as a Private Member’s Bill.

• The Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41).
• The Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2)
• The Overseas Electors Act 2022 (c. 49).

Madam Speaker,

I think it is entirely correct that Britons abroad ought to have a say in how their country is run, particularly given that many do not have the right to vote anywhere else. In particular, I was pleased that this House rightly saw fit to remove the arbitrary and capricious 15-year limit on the right of British citizens to vote from abroad when it passed the Overseas Electors Act 2022.

However, I believe that it is only fair that it is people who are resident in the UK that should be able to provide large sums of money to political parties. We cannot have, for instance, people who moved abroad for tax purposes continue to funnel swathes of money into our political system entirely unchecked. This Bill seeks to redress that abuse in what I believe is a sensible manner.

I ought to note that this is not an outright ban on giving money to political parties. PPERA 2000 does not regulate, for instance, donations of an amount less than £500, so overseas electors will still be able to pay membership dues for political parties. However, they will no longer be able to be major financial contributors to political parties while not being contributors to HM Revenue & Customs.

I commend this Bill to the House.

This reading will end on Friday 12th January at 10pm GMT.