The Guardian view on political donations: Labour must lead the way on reform | Editorial

Scandal is hard-wired into a system that makes parties over-reliant on mega-donors, as the opposition will discover soon enough

Some political controversies are complicated. The row about offensive remarks made by Frank Hester, a businessman and Conservative donor, is not in that category. What he said was simply racist – declaring an impulse of hatred for all black women induced by the fact of Diane Abbott MP being a black woman. He says he abhors racism. Downing Street belatedly acknowledged the problem, although some Tory MPs still don’t get it. The main reason for such obtuseness is also not complicated. Mr Hester gave the party £10m.

The pernicious influence that big money can have on politics is something voters intuitively understand and don’t like. Not all party donations are crudely transactional. Some philanthropists feel a duty to finance democracy. But there are all kinds of access advantages and policy favours potentially available from proximity to power that might make party funding feel like a worthwhile business investment.

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