The Representation of the People Bill is receiving its second reading in the House of Lords today.
There is currently no cap on donations from UK-resident individuals.
"We believe that we've done everything in complete accordance with the laws," he told BBC Breakfast.
He accused Labour of trying to "retrospectively introduce legislation in order to significantly disadvantage another political party".
Tice said the party's donations would enable it to "get on a level playing field" with other parties, likened it to Labour receiving donations from trade unions, and that "competition is a good thing".
Earlier, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Paul Nowak pushed back on suggestions that Reform's donations was the same as trade unions funding Labour and influencing policy, saying "trade union money is the cleanest, most transparent money in British politics".
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme ahead of the first full day of the TUC conference, he said: "Every decision that unions take about political funding, members decide, it's all in the open.
"Any conversation I ever have with a minister or a politician, everybody knows what I'm talking about, nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors with Christopher Harborne, Ben Delo and Nigel Farage."
The sheer scale of Reform's record-breaking donation windfall has prompted an urgent debate across the parties.
The debate is expected to focus heavily on political finance after Reform UK received two £36 million donations (totalling £72 million) from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne.
The bill already contains government amendments implementing the Rycroft Review. These include:
- An annual £100,000 cap on donations from overseas electors, applied retrospectively from 25–26 March 2026.
- A requirement that returning overseas electors remain subject to the cap for at least a full calendar year after they come back to the UK.
- A moratorium on cryptocurrency donations.
- Tighter rules so companies can only donate from post-tax UK profits rather than revenue.
Several peers and parties want to go further.
Labour peer Lord Wills has said he intends to table an amendment extending a cap to domestic donors.
Liberal Democrats have called for emergency legislation.
Ministers have so far declined to accept a general cap in the Commons, citing concerns about loopholes, but have asked officials to examine how one might work.
Angela Rayner has left the door open, saying she wants to stop people “being able to overpower and buy their way into democracy.”
Reform UK has accused Labour of trying to “rig the system.”
The bill also covers other electoral changes, including lowering the voting age to 16 for reserved elections, expanding accepted voter ID to include UK bank cards, and measures on registration and campaign rules.
The bill also covers other electoral changes, including lowering the voting age to 16 for reserved elections, expanding accepted voter ID to include UK bank cards, and measures on registration and campaign rules.
Second reading is a general debate; detailed amendments will be considered at committee stage later.
Make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, referendums and recall petitions; to make provision about election agents’ addresses; to make provision about political expenditure and political donations; to make provision about information to be included in electronic campaigning material; to make provision about offences and civil sanctions in connection with elections, referendums and recall petitions and with donations and expenditure for political purposes; to repeal provision about the designation of a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission; to make provision about the disclosure of information by the Electoral Commission; to make provision about the disqualification of offenders for holding elective offices, and their sentencing, where offences are aggravated by hostility towards persons involved in elections, referendums or recall petitions or holders of such offices; and for connected purposes.
The Electoral Commission’s briefing on the Representation of the People Bill notes that the Government’s New Clause 74 would introduce a retrospective £100,000 annual cap on donations from overseas electors, plus residency tests and repayment rules, while several backbench clauses go further and propose general annual caps ranging from £5,000 to £1 million, some with trade-union exemptions or a Royal Commission.
The Commission says a well-designed cap could improve public trust, given widespread concern that large gifts buy influence, but it would also cut reported party income substantially by 23% at a £1 million cap and 57% at £100,000 based on 2020–25 figures hitting Labour, the Conservatives and Reform hardest.
It argues any cap must be set after proper consultation, be workable and enforceable, close loopholes through intermediaries, and still leave parties enough money to campaign.
The leader of one of Labour's biggest funders, Unite the Union, is among those backing limits on individual donations. In response, Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice said the proposed change shows Labour was "terrified" of the party."We believe that we've done everything in complete accordance with the laws," he told BBC Breakfast.
He accused Labour of trying to "retrospectively introduce legislation in order to significantly disadvantage another political party".
Tice said the party's donations would enable it to "get on a level playing field" with other parties, likened it to Labour receiving donations from trade unions, and that "competition is a good thing".
Earlier, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Paul Nowak pushed back on suggestions that Reform's donations was the same as trade unions funding Labour and influencing policy, saying "trade union money is the cleanest, most transparent money in British politics".
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme ahead of the first full day of the TUC conference, he said: "Every decision that unions take about political funding, members decide, it's all in the open.
"Any conversation I ever have with a minister or a politician, everybody knows what I'm talking about, nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors with Christopher Harborne, Ben Delo and Nigel Farage."
The sheer scale of Reform's record-breaking donation windfall has prompted an urgent debate across the parties.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgyjn9pdeeo
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