ABSTRACT
32.1 In October 1998, the Committee of Standards in Public Life presented to the Prime Minister its report on the funding of political parties in the United Kingdom. The report recommended that any company intending to make a donation (whether in cash or in kind and including any sponsorship, or loans or transactions at a favourable rate) to a political party or organisation, should be required to have the prior authority of its shareholders. The Government accepted this recommendation and implemented it through the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (the PPERA). The new regime of control for political donations and expenditures was set out in Part 10A of the CA 1985, as inserted by s 139 of Schedule 19 to the PPERA.
