Richard Tice accuses Labour of ‘trying to change rules retrospectively’ after Reform receive £72m in donations – UK politics live

Labour MPs and unions are pressuring the government to legislate for a stricter cap on political party donations Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, has declined to say when two crypto billionaires who gave a combined £72m to the party returned to the UK, Peter Walker reports. Good morning. This afternoon peers will debate the second reading of the representation of the people bill. If you hear a loud bang echo around the Lords chamber, it will be the sound of the stable door being shut after the horse has bolted. Those close to the process say capping donations is not a priority for Burnham and not a subject over which it would be worth triggering a fight with Labour’s biggest backers. We’re completely confident that [the Delo and Harborne] donations comply with not only the existing rules, but they also comply with the rules currently going through parliament, albeit with that retrospective element … Unless [Labour] literally try and change the rules again as it’s going through the House of Lords, in which case it would have to go back to the Commons. I mean, anything’s possible with this sort of dictatorship currently ruining the country. You know, we’re the victims of a coup. These donations are made in accordance with the rules and the regulations, and you’ve now got a hyperventilating hypocrisy from the socialists ruining this country, who are trying to change the rules retrospectively, which is it’s not the fair way, it’s not the British way, and I think most people will say ‘does that just mean that Labour are terrified of the progress of Reform and they’re trying to create an unlevel playing field?’ Continue reading...