What does the Representation of the People Bill actually change?: It bans Cryptocurrency donations to political parties with retrospective effect, caps overseas elector donations at £100,000 per year, and restricts Shell company donations.
Why was crypto banned for political donations?: The Rycroft Review found that Cryptocurrency donations are difficult to trace and verify, creating a loophole in party finance transparency. The ban applies retrospectively.
Does the crypto donation ban apply to donations already received?: Yes. Parties have 30 days after Royal Assent to return any Cryptocurrency donations rendered unlawful. The retrospective element is constitutionally unusual for UK electoral law.
Will the Representation of the People Bill become law before the 2026 elections?: No. The bill was excluded from parliamentary wash-up and will not pass before the 7 May 2026 elections. Parliament is expected to prorogue on or about 29 April 2026, with the bill stuck at its 9th committee sitting.Source: Parallel Parliament
What is parliamentary wash-up and why does it matter for the RPA Bill?: Parliamentary wash-up is the compressed period between dissolution and a general election when the government negotiates cross-party passage for priority bills. The RPA Bill was not included among the four named wash-up bills, meaning it falls with the current Parliament.Source: Parallel Parliament
Does the Representation of the People Bill affect Christopher Harborne's donations?: No. The bill targeted Cryptocurrency donations, not conventional cash donations. Harborne's approximately £12m in donations to Reform UK were made as conventional financial transfers and would not have been subject to the retrospective return requirement.Source: Electoral Commission

Background

The Representation of the People Bill is a 2026 piece of UK primary legislation amending the framework governing elections and political finance. Drawing on Rycroft Review recommendations, it introduces the most significant changes to UK electoral law since PPERA 2000: a retrospective ban on Cryptocurrency donations, a £100,000 cap on donations from overseas-registered electors, and new restrictions on Shell company contributions.

The retrospective Cryptocurrency provision is the bill's most contested element. Reform UK confirmed it received Cryptocurrency donations before any legislative bar existed; the bill would have required those funds returned within 30 days of Royal Assent. Critics argued retrospective legislation raises rule-of-law concerns; supporters said the donations would have been unlawful under the spirit of existing rules. The Electoral Commission confirmed it cannot verify Reform's crypto donations because the party has not provided wallet addresses, and its Polish processor Radom Pay falls outside FCA jurisdiction.

The bill was excluded from the parliamentary wash-up — the compressed legislative Sprint before dissolution — and will not become law before the 7 May elections. Parliament is set to prorogue on or about 29 April 2026, with the bill stuck at its 9th Commons committee sitting and absent from the four named wash-up bills. Reform's £12m in Harborne donations therefore faces no statutory return obligation. The bill may be reintroduced in the next parliamentary session, but the 7 May elections proceed under the existing, pre-bill framework.

Source Material

Parliament Bills

How the World Sees Them

Reform UK

Faces no statutory return obligation for crypto donations after the bill's exclusion from wash-up; the Electoral Commission verification gap remains unaddressed.

Labour government

Sponsors the bill as a transparency measure; its failure to reach wash-up is a legislative setback, though the government retains option to reintroduce in the next session.

Conservative Party

Raised rule-of-law concerns over the retrospective provision; the bill's failure removes a political pressure point the party can now use in the next Parliament.