Unions warn against 'out of control' political spending

Trade unions have called for "out of control" political spending to be reined in, suggesting that the "health and integrity of democracy" have been threatened by donations totalling £72m to Reform UK.

In a joint statement, the TUC - the umbrella group for unions in the UK - called on the government to "protect our democracy from being captured by the super rich".

There is no explicit call for a cap on domestic donations to match those the government plans to impose on foreign-based donations.

But unions have signalled they are open to discussions with policymakers on any initiatives to "clean up" party funding.

The statement, issued at the TUC's annual congress in Brighton, also makes the case that trade union donations should not be treated in the same way as big contributions to parties from rich individuals.

The debate over donations to political parties has been reignited after Reform UK received two donations totalling £72m from two British crypto-billionaires who have both recently lived abroad.

The government is planning to change the law on donations to UK political parties from British voters living overseas, including a £100,000 cap backdated to 25 March.

There are currently no restrictions on the amount of money UK-based donors can give to political parties.