Farage says a Reform UK government would stop unions funding Labour if they block £72m donations – UK politics live

Party leader claims proposed new retrospective laws are unfair and Reform would retaliate with a crackdown on union funding if elected

Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, was doing a media round on behalf of the government this morning. Asked about claims that trade unions donations to Labour are similar to single, multi-million pound donations to Reform UK from cryptocurrency billionaires (see 9.09am), Reynolds claimed it was wrong to view them as equivalent. He told Times Radio:

When we talk, or people talk about union donations, that is not one entity. That is tens of thousands of ordinary people choosing to make that donation, and it’s bundled up and given from the union. But it’s very easy to opt out of that. There are rules governing political funds, political ballots.

I honestly think to take these mega, ultra crypto Reform donors and compare them to voluntary associations of working people choosing to give some money to the political system, I don’t think the two things are comparable. Continue reading...