Labour’s donations crackdown is a blow to Reform UK – and a highly political move
Reform UK are no doubt the biggest losers from the government’s emergency measures to overhaul political donations.Labour MPs are absolutely delighted that No 10 is at last bringing in changes that will hobble Reform’s ability to raise money from its Thailand-based mega-donor, Christopher Harborne, at the same time as making the electoral system fairer in the eyes of the public.“It’s a win-win,” says one backbencher who has campaigned on the issue.“We stop [Reform] being able to raise so much money from people based abroad and highlight one of their biggest weaknesses – taking money from billionaires based offshore.”Every new recommendation – from the ban on crypto donations to a cap on overseas donations – was carefully justified by the independent Philip Rycroft report as a step to reduce the risk of foreign interference in UK elections.
Steve Reed, the communities secretary, was also stern in his attitude to implementing the measures, saying: “In the light of the gravity of the issues raised in the report, I am not prepared to allow any window of opportunity in which malign actors based overseas can funnel dark money into our politics.”But the truth is also that the move is a highly political one from a government that appears to have realised it could afford to be more muscular in bringing in changes that could adversely affect its opponents.Fundraisers in political parties are traditionally nervous about any new rules that could limit their own ability to raise money.Former advisers in Labour’s No 10 are believed to have previously blocked efforts to put more restrictions on donations.One ex-aide says there was always a nagging hope that a rich crypto bro may suddenly materialise with a huge donation to the Labour party, which is traditionally funded by trade unions and a smaller base of UK donors such as the Ecotricity founder Dale Vince, the supermarket tycoon David Sainsbury and the former Autoglass boss Gary Lubner.
However, those reservations appear to have been set aside, with minds sharpened after the £12m of donations to Reform from Harborne, as well as the conviction of the former Reform politician Nathan Gill for taking bribes from a Russia-linked associate.Although the new restrictions are a blow to Reform, the party has not deluged social media with outraged clips against the move – showing an awareness that drawing attention to the issue will not necessarily generate much sympathy.Nigel Farage himself has been quiet on the fundamental overhaul that will affect not just future donations from Harborne but also the party’s website, which solicits donations in cryptocurrency.The Reform MPs were not in their seats for the debate on stopping the flow of foreign money into UK politics having staged a theatrical walkout during prime minister’s questions after asking a question about illegal migration.The main public comment so far has come from Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, who told GB News that it showed the government was “trying to stop the incredible progress of Reform, and cryptocurrencies are a perfectly legitimate way of investing, of earning within the law”.
It was a sign they were “quite clear they’re absolutely petrified, terrified of the progress of Reform”, he added.His assessment is not wrong.Many Labour figures are deeply concerned about the vast sums being given to Reform – as an issue of democratic fairness as well as politics.The question now is whether they might extend more restrictions to donations from UK sources.So far, the measures recommended by Rycroft are limited to ones that will head off the risk of foreign interference.
However, further changes – including a cap on individual donations and greater transparency requirements for small donations – have not been ruled out.More moves to curb the arms race for mega-donations would surely work not just in the public interest but in Labour’s as well.
Resident doctors in England to begin six-day strike after rejecting offer in pay dispute
Resident doctors in England will strike for six days after Easter after rejecting what they said was the final offer by the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to end the long-running pay and jobs dispute.The British Medical Association blamed the government for its decision to undertake its longest stoppage so far, from 7am on Tuesday 7 April to 6.59 on Monday 13 April.This will be the 15th industrial action that resident doctors have staged in their campaign for “full pay restoration” and means they will strike for the fourth year running.NHS leaders warned the strike would cost the health service an estimated £300m, lead to appointments being cancelled, and force patients to wait longer for tests, treatment and surgery
Fifteen new councils to be created in south and east of England
Fifteen new councils will be created in the south and east of England under the latest round of a major local government overhaul, aimed at boosting economic growth and accelerating mass housebuilding plans.The new unitary councils will replace 43 counties and districts across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Hampshire, with hundreds of councillors’ roles axed. A decision on future arrangements for East Sussex and West Sussex has been delayed.Ministers said the new councils, which will come on stream in 2028, will sweep away outdated administrative structures and enable local authorities to focus on government priorities such as building 1.5m new homes by 2029
Kent meningitis outbreak prompts rush for routine vaccinations in England
School immunisation services and pharmacies are reporting surging demand for routine vaccinations after the Kent meningitis outbreak in which two teenagers died.Thousands of teenagers across England have booked or received jabs in the past fortnight against the A, C, W and Y strains of meningitis (MenACWY), and diphtheria, polio and tetanus (Td/IPV).Experts said the increase in immunisation was a small silver lining to the meningitis B outbreak, which has also left 18 people in hospital. Latest figures show that only 72% of year 9 pupils received the MenACWY or booster Td/IPV inoculations in the 2024-25 academic year, well below the recommended 95%.The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) have reported burgeoning demand for routine year 9 inoculations across England
More frequent ejaculations may boost men’s fertility, research suggests
Encouraging men to have more frequent ejaculations may boost their fertility, according to researchers who found that sperm deteriorates over time as it remains in the body.The longer men went without sex, the more their sperm showed signs of DNA damage and oxidative stress, and the more tests rated the sperm as less viable and poorer swimmers.The work has implications for fertility clinics and suggests that if doctors want to collect the best quality sperm, men should probably not abstain from ejaculating for several days as guidelines suggest.“In men, the negative effects we found on sperm DNA damage and oxidative damage were large-ish, so we are confident that this is a biologically meaningful and important effect,” said Dr Krish Sanghvi, a biologist at the University of Oxford and lead author on the study.The findings emerged from a meta-analysis that combined 115 human studies involving nearly 55,000 men, and 56 studies that looked at the impact of sperm storage in 30 non-human species
Public satisfaction with the NHS rises for first time since 2019
Public satisfaction with the NHS has risen for the first time since 2019, but people remain deeply frustrated with stubbornly long waits to receive GP, A&E or hospital care.The proportion of voters in Great Britain satisfied with the way the NHS runs has increased from the record low of 21% seen last year to 26%. At the same time dissatisfaction with the health service fell 8% – the biggest drop since 1998 – although it remains high at 51%.Wes Streeting hailed the findings as proof that the NHS, which he said was “broken” when Labour won power in July 2024, was now “on the road to recovery”.The health secretary will cite them as evidence of progress in a speech on Wednesday in which he will set out plans to improve care at five badly performing health trusts
Polyurethane coating reduces implant complications after mastectomy, cancer study finds
Women with breast cancer who have reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy are much less likely to have complications if they have a polyurethane-coated implant, according to research.About 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year, of whom about 30% have a mastectomy. Many of these will subsequently have radiotherapy.Many women opt to have reconstructive surgery. But hard, painful scar tissue can form around the implant, especially if they have had radiotherapy
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