TIPS Newsletter | Mar 2026 - Taking Big Money Out of Politics – Democracy at Risk

Dear TIPS member,

In March 2026, Transparency International UK published ‘Taking Big Money Out of Politics’, a briefing examining the growing influence of large-scale political donations in the UK and proposing reforms to strengthen integrity. Drawing on electoral data, polling and case studies, the report finds that rising campaign spending – exceeding £90 million in 2024, up nearly 80% from 2015 – has intensified parties’ reliance on major donors, increasing risks of undue influence and weakening public trust. Some key takeaways:

• Weak political finance rules have fuelled an “arms race” in election spending, with higher legal limits driving escalating costs and fundraising pressures. This dynamic incentivises parties to pursue high-value donations, amplifying corruption risks and undermining the effectiveness of existing safeguards.

  
  

• Political funding is becoming increasingly concentrated among ultra-wealthy donors, with contributions of £1 million or more rising from 1% of private donations in 2015 to 35% in 2024. This growing dependency risks granting disproportionate access and influence to a small number of individuals, skewing policymaking away from the public interest.

  
  

To address these risks, TI-UK calls for comprehensive reform, including lowering campaign spending limits, introducing caps on political donations, strengthening transparency requirements and tightening rules to prevent foreign interference, with the aim of restoring trust and safeguarding democratic accountability.

Please see below the TIPS Newsletter for March 2026. We look forward to seeing you soon.

 - the TIPS team

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1. Upcoming Events (register on our Events page)

TIPS | Whistle Where We Work

30 April 2026, 6.30-8.30pm GMT, Control Risk, London (Register here)

Addressing corruption in crisis situations: towards effective crisis-responses in the Malawian health system

16 April 2026, 1-2pm,GMT, Zoom Event (Register here)

TL4 | The Anti-Bribery & Corruption Forum – 3rd Annual

21 April 2026, The Dilly, London (Register here)

C5 | Global Anti-Corruption Compliance & Risk Management

21-22 April 2026, The Royal Horseguards Hotel, London (Register here)

SFO hosts International Economic Crime Conference

5-6 May 2026, London (More Information here)

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2. Recent Events

TIPS | Trade Wars & Compliance Flaws: Export Controls in the Spotlight

On 24 March, the TIPS Network hosted an engaging panel discussion exploring the changing role of export controls and the rise of economic security featuring James Ford (A&O Shearman), Tobi Onasanya (PwC), Abdul Syed (BAE Systems Digital Intelligence), and Claire Rivington-Kuhns (Google).

The panellists discussed their observations of fragmentation and opportunities for coordination across the global export control landscape, the practical impacts on businesses and how export controls link to anti-corruption and other integrity risks.

We thank PwC for kindly hosting, and Mark Anderson for moderating the discussion.

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3. Jobs Board

Global Head of AML & Regulatory Compliance. Kraken, Remote (United Kingdom; Cyprus; Ireland; Portugal). Apply here.

Head of Anti-Bribery, Financial Crime and Sanctions. Haleon, London. Apply here.

Call for Proposals (CfP): project collecting debarment and arbitration court judgement data from Europe. Apply here.

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4. Items of Interest

TI Publications

• Simplifying EU rules for defence and sensitive security procurement: TI-DS submission to the review of the Defence and Sensitive Security Procurement Directive (2009/81/EC). Read here.

TI Blogs and News

• Mega-donor grip on UK politics has increased 35-fold in a decade, anti-corruption experts warn. See here.

• Transparency International UK responds to Rycroft Review. See here.

• Rycroft Review: government right to act fast but cap on all political donations needed. See here.

• London's role in Iran's financial networks — and why it matters now. See here.

• The UK’s new ‘mansion tax’: taxing in the dark? See here.

• Transparency International UK responds to latest Electoral Commission donation data. See here.

Podcasts

• Kickback – The Global Anticorruption Podcast 146:  Diana Bociga on the network architecture of anti-money laundering. Listen here.

Other items

• Credible Deterrence: beefing up enforcement of the UK’s political finance rules. See here.

• Making the UK’s crypto donations ban stick. See here.

• Crypto Moratorium is the Right Starting Point for Political Finance Reform. See here

• Landmark anti-SLAPP victory as £8m libel claim is thrown out of court. See here.

• Fines for UK financial crime nosedive to ‘pitiful’ lows. See here.

• Inside the Supply Chain Funneling Irish Alumina to Russian Rockets . See here.

• Hawala and Underground Finance: ‘Banking beyond the law’. See here.

• ‘Historic directive’: European Parliament adopts first EU-wide anti-corruption rules. See here.

• Black Cube, leaked tapes and corruption: Israeli spy firm crashes Slovenia’s election. See here.

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5. Focus on...

Hanna Sowemimo

Independent financial crime risk management consultant

Why did you get involved with the TIPS Network?

I have worked in financial crime risk management for over a decade where AML/CTF, anti-corruption and financial integrity sits at the heart of what I do.

I have long followed Transparency International, whose research directly informs the frameworks and risk assessments I develop professionally. When I came across the TIPS Network, I saw it as a natural extension of that as an initiative bringing Transparency International's work to a wider professional audience. Supporting that felt both professionally relevant and personally important.

Connect with Hanna on LinkedIn here.