Lisa Smart
Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove.
On 2 September, Lisa Smart’s proposal for a Royal Commission on political finance was defeated before the Commons passed the Representation of the People Bill, which Liberal Democrats backed.
Last refreshed: 3 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why do the Liberal Democrats back the Representation of the People Bill?
Timeline for Lisa Smart
Confirmed Liberal Democrat support for the Bill
UK Local Elections 2026: Rayner's finance Bill goes to the LordsTabled a defeated Royal Commission clause
UK Local Elections 2026: Commons refuses a cap on donationsBackground
Lisa Smart is the Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove. Her parliamentary role makes her a representative of that constituency in the House of Commons and a participant in Liberal Democrat work on electoral legislation.
Smart’s intervention on 2 September 2026 concerned political finance within the Representation of the People Bill. She proposed a Royal Commission on donation limits, while her party backed the Bill as it passed its Commons stages.
Her relevance in this area rests on the combination of constituency representation and parliamentary scrutiny of electoral rules. The Commons record shows that her proposal did not pass, but it identifies political-finance reform as a subject on which she has taken a stated position.
Smart's commission proposal fails
On 2 September, Lisa Smart’s proposed Royal Commission on donation limits was rejected during Commons consideration of the Representation of the People Bill. Her proposal placed political-finance reform at the centre of her intervention, but it did not secure parliamentary support.
Later that day, the Commons passed the Bill at Third Reading by 411 votes to 102 and sent it to the Lords. Liberal Democrat support for the Bill gave Smart’s party a role in advancing its wider electoral changes, despite the failure of her commission proposal.
Why do the Liberal Democrats support the Representation of the People Bill?
What was Lisa Smart's Royal Commission clause?
Who is Lisa Smart?
