RUK Issues to Contact your MP about

 There are at least three issues you can contact your MP about:

• Far-right extremism.
• Strengthen rules regarding foreign donations, political party structures and strengthening enforcement mechanisms for breaking electoral rules
• A full public inquiry into Russian interference in British politics

See this page on how to contact your MP via email or by phone.

If you want inspiration on how effective contacting your MP or elected representative are see:

• Christopher Armitage EARR guide
• Indivisible guide

(create new 4 pages to link to: far-right extremism, strengthen rules foreign donations out of UK politics, A full public inquiry into Russian interference in British politics, contact MP via email/phone guides)

Far-right Extremism

Far-right extremism is widespread, under-policed, and poses the UK’s most serious internal security threat. See this guide to contacting your MP to demand transparency over what actions the government are taking to tackle this serious issue.

• A Reform UK–linked WhatsApp group was exposed in November 2025 for containing violent extremist messages, including calls for the mass murder of Muslims and the assassination of the Prime Minister.
• A Reform UK councillor involved in the group was suspended, but no wider party action appears to have been taken.
• The group normalised murderous, dehumanising language, which experts warn can radicalise vulnerable individuals into committing real-world violence.
• The group was not a private circle of friends; members were invited without vetting, increasing the risk that fringe extremists could influence or be influenced by it.
• Violent rhetoric of this kind is not protected speech, and parallels known pathways from extremism to terrorism.
• Despite the RUK councillor’s suspension, questions remain:

• Are other Reform members or activists in the group being investigated?
• Are counter-terrorism and Prevent teams monitoring or intervening?
• The group’s admin attempted damage control, claiming “lefty infiltrators” posted the extremist messages but their own public posts contain racist and extremist rhetoric, undermining this claim.
• Definitions of extremism, radicalisation, terrorism, and racism (based on UK law) clearly apply to both the WhatsApp content and the organiser’s public statements.
• Far-right extremism is the UK’s fastest-growing domestic threat, according to counter-terrorism briefings.
• The 2024 Farage/far-right riots, which some legally classified as terrorism saw very few ringleaders were prosecuted, raising concerns about enforcement.

Strengthen rules regarding foreign donations, political party structures and enforcement mechanisms for breaking electoral rules

The Labour government has announced a review into foreign financial interference in UK politics. This is positive news.

Write to your MP about getting foreign donations out of British politics and also tightening the rules about how political parties are constituted/structured, and strengthen the electoral commissions enforcement options beyond fines for parties breaking electoral rules. See more details on all this below.

What the review is (and isn’t)

• Not a retrospective, “root-and-branch” investigation into the last decade (e.g. Russia’s past actions).
• Instead, a forward-looking review of:
  • Current vulnerabilities in the system.
  • How political finance laws work now.
  • What needs fixing urgently.
• Review expected to report by March.
• Limited in scope due to short timeframe (deep inquiries take years).
  

Key points from government press release

Review will assess:

• Effectiveness of political finance laws.
• Safeguards against illicit foreign money.
• Cryptocurrency donations.
• Regulation and constitution of political parties.
• Electoral Commission’s enforcement powers.
• Overall checks and balances.

Why it matters

• Foreign interference portrayed as a serious democratic threat.
• Real threats come from:
  • Kremlin-backed actors.
  • Powerful foreign corporations and tech interests.
• Designed to feed directly into next year’s Elections Bill.
• Intended to create political and public momentum for reform.
• Elections Bill (next year) will include a wide package of reforms, including:
  • Major focus on tightening foreign donations and loopholes.
  • Lowering the voting age to 16.
  • Easier voter registration.

Foreign donations & Reform UK

• Reform UK accepting a £9m donation linked to a Thailand-based business.
• Donor holds a British passport but lives abroad; funds came from foreign business interests.
• This is clearly foreign money.
• Such donations need to be banned under new rules.
• Large donations themselves amount to corruption, even without state involvement.
  

State interference vs private corruption

• Wealthy foreign individuals seek profit.
• Hostile foreign states seek to destabilize societies.
• Russia is actively funding destabilising forces across Europe, the US, and UK.
• Claims Russian operations have influenced key votes over the last decade.

Nathan Gill case (more on our dedicated page on the case here)

• Former associate of Nigel Farage jailed for accepting Kremlin-linked bribes.
• Government says review aims to ensure “this can never happen again.”
• How do you prevent this proactively, not just punish it afterward?
  

Possible preventive measures

• Mandatory publication of all income sources for elected politicians.
• Full transparency on significant expenditures.
• Acknowledgement that existing laws already criminalise bribery, so prevention is the key challenge.
  

Cryptocurrency donations

• Crypto donations must be banned, due to the difficulty/impossibility of tracing true sources.
• Reform UK noted as officially accepting crypto donations.
• Inclusion of crypto in the review suggests a potential future ban.

Open Britain is campaigning to get Dark Money out of politics and calling for:

• Full transparency of donations – no more loopholes, no more secrecy. Every pound spent on politics should be traceable, wherever it comes from.
• Stronger regulation – campaign groups, think tanks, and pressure organisations must be held to the same standards of openness as political parties.
• Protection against foreign interference – closing offshore routes, tightening corporate donation rules, and empowering regulators to root out hidden foreign money.
• Enforcement that works – regulators need real teeth to investigate, penalise, and deter violations.

Political party structure

• Review will examine party constitutions and regulation.
• Reform UK highlighted as unique:
  • Structured as a private company.
  • Owned by Nigel Farage.
  • Leader cannot be removed internally.
• Any reform in party governance rules would disproportionately affect Reform UK.
  

Electoral Commission enforcement

• Enforcement often relies on fines.
• Problem identified:
  • Parties that overspend usually have enough money to absorb fines.
  • Fines alone are ineffective deterrents.
• Review may explore stronger enforcement mechanisms.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzqUPx3eNaY) 

Lobby your MP for a full public inquiry into Russian interference in British politics

The Labour government has announced a review into foreign financial interference in British politics, but this is only forward looking. Considering all the Russian interference in British politics we still need a government public inquiry into all the past Russia interference in British politics.