Political scandals have eroded public trust and destabilised politics. Stronger checks and balances are urgently needed to prioritise public interest over private gain.

Money in politics

We know from history that big money causes big problems in our democracy and Britain’s weak political finance rules are failing to stop the corrosive effects of big money on our political system.

Our research has raised questions over millions of pounds in political donations revealing £1 in every £10 coming from unknown or suspect sources including those who have been accused or found to have bought political access or involved in criminality.

We are now seeing a new arms race in political spending with parties every more reliant on the super-rich for support. 

Only through reforms to tighten spending rules, bring dark money out of the shadows and improve accountability for those who abuse the system can we loosen the grip of big money and improve the integrity of our political system.

Lobbying

Lobbying is vital to democracy, but the perceived link between money and politics continues to damage our politics.

Several high-profile lobbying scandals, including the Prime Minister's undeclared interests and an MP's manipulation of rules to conceal hospitality, have further eroded public trust.

Only by better regulating lobbying—from tightening rules on the "revolving door" between government and the private sector to restricting MPs' outside employment—can we bring it out of the shadows through greater transparency and stronger accountability for those who break the rules.

Open Access

Open Access UK is the our groundbreaking tool for analysing ministerial meeting data. We collect date from multiple UK Government sources and present it in an easy to use tool making it easier to find out who is meeting with Government Ministers.

Open Access now holds details of more than 100,000 meetings with ministers from 27 departments, spanning back to 2012. 

Visit Open Access

Open Access Screenshot