A group of Labour MPs is pushing to make the UK’s temporary prohibition on crypto political donations permanent through amendments to the Representation of the People Bill.
The proposal would stop political parties, candidates and regulated campaign recipients from accepting donations made with cryptoassets or proceeds generated from digital assets. It also treats donations routed through crypto exchanges or custodian wallet providers as coming from impermissible donors under UK political finance law.
The amendment is being led by Liam Byrne alongside Anneliese Dodds, Yuan Yang and Mark Sewards. It will be considered during the bill’s Report Stage in the House of Commons next week.
Anonymous Funding Sits At The Center Of The Proposal
The MPs argue that crypto donations create a higher risk of anonymous funding, foreign influence and donations that cannot be verified under existing electoral rules.
The proposal builds on the government’s earlier moratorium on crypto political donations and wider reforms designed to tighten “know your donor” requirements, strengthen checks on overseas funding and increase scrutiny of campaign finance before and during elections.
The wider Representation of the People Bill already introduces stronger disclosure rules for candidates, tighter company-donation requirements and additional safeguards around foreign money entering British politics.
The new amendment would go further by turning the temporary crypto restriction into a permanent feature of UK electoral law rather than leaving it as a transitional measure.
Crypto Funding Debate Continues
The proposal arrives as crypto has become a larger part of UK political debate following high-profile digital-asset donations and questions around campaign funding transparency.
The UK government has already committed to tighter political-finance controls after the Rycroft Review, while the Electoral Commission is expected to publish guidance if the amendment becomes law.
The debate also comes as Europe continues tightening oversight of crypto markets. Recent regulation has already reshaped exchange access and custody rules, with Binance’s MiCA licensing setback and the wider July 1 transition deadline changing how platforms can legally serve European users.
The amendment has not yet been adopted. It will move through the normal parliamentary process as part of the Representation of the People Bill before becoming law.
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