Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA)

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) is the UK statute governing political finance, electoral registration of parties, and campaign regulation. Enacted under the Blair government following the Neill Committee recommendations, it created the Electoral Commission as an independent regulator and established the rules for party registration, permissible donors, donation reporting, and spending limits.

PPERA's central provision on donations is that only UK-registered voters and UK-registered companies can donate to UK political parties. Donations above £7,500 to a central party or £1,500 to a local accounting unit must be reported quarterly to the Electoral Commission. The regulated period (12 months before a UK general election, shorter for devolved) imposes spending limits on both parties and third-party campaigners. Reform UK's Q3 2025 £9m single donation from Christopher Harborne — the largest single annual donation from a living individual since records began — is lawful under PPERA because Harborne is on the UK electoral roll.

For the May 2026 local elections PPERA's spending limits apply constituency by constituency. Reform UK's record fundraising haul gives the party capacity to saturate target county council seats with leaflets, canvassers, and digital advertising up to the legal ceiling. Rivals monitoring the Electoral Commission returns will see whether Reform spent close to the cap in the eastern counties it is projected to win.