Dear John,
Open Britain has warned for years that money in politics is corroding trust in government and fuelling populist anger in the UK. Politics should be driven by the ballot box. Not by billionaires.
The APPG for Fair Elections is leading the charge, demanding the government shut down loopholes that let unregulated money flood into political campaigns. But election finance is just one piece of the puzzle.
At Open Britain, we’ve long argued that MPs’ financial interests must be properly monitored – even after they’re elected to Parliament. In our 2023 Functional Democracy Goals report, we called for legally binding enforcement of business interest rules to stop conflicts of interest in Parliament.
If you’ve ever used TheyWorkForYou, you know how powerful transparency can be. Run by MySociety, it’s a free tool that lets you track your MP’s voting record, campaign donations, and now, their official Parliamentary financial disclosures.
Now, MySociety has released a new report, Beyond Transparency, which lays bare the flaws in the UK’s broken record-keeping system. It confirms what we’ve been saying for years: glaring loopholes let MPs hide potential conflicts of interest.
Worse still, they say, transparency rules alone just aren’t enough. MPs can hold undisclosed assets (like cryptocurrency or gold) without ever telling the public. A number of loopholes in disclosure requirements mean that MPs aren’t held to same standards as civil servants or local councillors.
The Beyond Transparency report calls for urgent action:
Better data collection: So we actually know what MPs’ financial interests are.
Stronger checks: To ensure that information is accurate and trustworthy.
Tighter rules: To reduce conflicts of interest in the first place.
Systematic reform: To curb the influence of money in politics.
It’s clear: the UK’s democracy is at a breaking point. But momentum is building, and serious reform is finally on the table. It’s time to fix this system – before public trust collapses entirely.
That’s why Open Britain is pushing for real change. We’re working with campaigners, MPs, and reform groups to demand tougher regulations, real accountability, and an end to the culture of secrecy in Westminster.
We’ll keep exposing the cracks in the system. We’ll keep fighting for a political process that serves the public, not the highest bidder.
