Elon Musk is reported to be plotting the £79m donation, which would be by far the largest in British electoral history, via the British arm of his social media firm X

Labour is considering capping political donations by individuals and private companies amid reports Elon Musk will hand a $100m donation to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

The Tesla tycoon is said to be plotting the £79m donation, which would be by far the largest in British electoral history, via the British arm of his social media firm X.

According to The Sunday Times, leading businessmen and Conservative Party officials believe Musk could hand over the cash as a “f*** you Starmer payment” in his ongoing feud with the prime minister.

It would give Mr Farage’s insurgent Reform a significant financial advantage over Labour and the Conservatives and be enough to fund a near-endless barrage of attack ads against the government.

But the government is considering recommendations in an upcoming report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank that would cap individual and corporate political donations at £100,000 a year.

The Guardian reported that officials have asked for more details on the proposals, though work is at an early stage and any changes would unlikely be made until late in the parliament.

…

The potential donation cap comes as Mr Musk and Mr Farage grow increasingly close, with the Reform leader describing the billionaire Trump ally as “my new friend” last week.

  • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
    29·
    13 hours ago

    Billionaires are trying to buy permanent power across the world.

    Avoiding this should be top prio for any government and ultimately every governed people. But I have my doubts, given the amount of hero worship these folks already bought themselves.

    • Glitch@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      31·
      6 hours ago

      The marvel movies were prepping us to worship the powerful and trust that they’ll save the day maybe? 🧐

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
      21·
      8 hours ago

      i don’t think you understand who runs these governments and that pleb class about zero sway over any policy beyond something blowing up enough and them doing some half, later reversed “solution” that fucks us even harder.

      • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
        3·
        8 hours ago

        You’re not wrong, but nihilism also works against any control that the plebs may have. Even if we disagree that there is any, we should be open to the possibility of change.

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
          2·
          8 hours ago

          we should be open to the possibility of change.

          we have to go and get this change done! but first people need to understand the beast and it seems most still rely on old models of how government works, how it related to us etc.

          things have changed and peasants have not caught up. only viable option as individual is to do some direct action within “market” economy. maybe one day critical mass will hit…

          but for now we getting more fucking.

          I love mocking US but the more I learn what UK elites did… holly fucking batamn, talk about contempt for the poors jfc.

  • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝OPAEnglish
    29·
    16 hours ago

    He clearly has too much money. We should take a big chunk off him, call it’s cine for electoral interference.

  • als@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    13·
    16 hours ago

    The current system is very profitable for companies like Drax that survive off of government subsidies so spend a lot on bribes (oh sorry, lobbying, it’s completely different I’m sure) for people in power to make such they keep these subsidies. Of course I imagine most MPs would be against this cap as it’d decrease their pay.

  • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
    821·
    16 hours ago

    Ohh so when Russians and Chinese and Arabs are doing it is kewl…

    But when American alpha mega daddy Chad nepo baby wants to do it, now we talking caps?

    Hmmm… Interesting…

    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
      111·
      16 hours ago

      They did say it was the largest ever.

      There’s a difference between say the Chinese buying a politician the equivalent of a pint so they think positively of them and someone outright buying the election as long as you pledge to be a Nazi.

      • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
        44·
        13 hours ago

        There’s a difference between say the Chinese buying a politician the equivalent of a pint so they think positively of them and someone outright buying the election as long as you pledge to be a Nazi.

        attitudes like this is why UK is in a fucking gutter lol

        peasants are their own worst enemies