Representation of the People Bill written evidence: Crypto donations ban or moratorium?
Representation of the People Bill
CRYPTO DONATIONS
CFS at RUSI submitted written evidence to the Representation of the People Bill committee on cryptocurrency political donations. The Bill amends existing electoral law and makes new electoral law provisions which aim to ensure that UK elections remain secure and protected against foreign interference.
A critical issue of debate is how the legislation should deal with the security threats posed by cryptocurrencies in political donations. Many civil society organisations and MPs have advocated for a complete ban on crypto donations. However, this written evidence explains the findings of CFS at RUSI’s Cryptocurrencies in UK Politics project – that a blanket ban offers less protection that it appears and that a moratorium, to be lifted once an appropriate regulatory regime has been designed, is the best way to futureproof our political finance system against undue influence and foreign inference.
Significantly, the Joint Committee of the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) endorsed this finding in its March 2026 report on political finance and foreign interference, referencing the evidence given by CFS Director Tom Keatinge that a ‘last mile’ ban on money at the point of receipt creates a false sense of security because it does not address the upstream risks posed by crypto-enabled financial flows.
