Burnham's betrayal on political funding

The Guardian reports that Andy Burnham has dropped his support for capping political donations, causing anger among activists and Labour MPs who have long campaigned for change to the way parties are funded.

The paper says that the prime minister has decided not to back amendments to the elections bill, which would cap the amount a person or an organisation can give in a single donation:

The decision comes after a lobbying campaign from Labour’s trade union backers, who said amendments to the bill, which returns to parliament for its remaining stages next week, could undermine their ability to donate to the party. It is also a retreat from the support Burnham gave to the idea just a few weeks ago, when he emailed a campaigner for electoral reform to say he would support a donations cap of £500,000.

Stella Creasy, one of the Labour backbenchers who has tabled an amendment calling for a donations cap, said: “Millionaires are increasingly treating British politics as their plaything – splashing the cash to get the outcome they want and the next election as their cup final.

“The public won’t forgive us if we miss this chance to clean up Westminster because we are squabbling with each other.”

Shaun Bowler, the campaigner to whom Burnham promised his support in May, said: “Andy Burnham promised me a proper cap on political donations and a ‘wholesale culture change’ in Westminster. If his government now refuses to back a donations cap, then he has broken the promise he made to me – and to voters.

“I wanted to believe the positive message he gave me. I wanted to believe that someone was finally going to take on the culture that has left so many people feeling that their voices don’t matter and that wealthy people can buy influence over our government.

“But words mean nothing if they disappear the moment power is won. Large political donations are not democratic. They create influence, whether politicians want to admit it or not. The prime minister has one chance to start rebuilding trust: the representation of the people act.

“He told me he wanted change. Now he needs to keep his promise and act.”

As Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, says: “Huge donations have a corrosive effect on trust in politics as they leave the public wondering what donors expect in return for their money.

“A donations cap is a crucial step to ending the impression that our politics is for sale to the highest bidder and rebuilding that trust, which is currently at record lows.”

The impression that billionaires can buy influence and elections is undermining our democratic process. It needs to be nipped in the bud quickly, and that requires Burnham to deliver on his promises.