PARTY political donors constitute nearly a quarter of peerage nominations to the House of Lords, a report has found.
Transparency International UK called for an end to cash for honours and “unfettered prime ministerial power” over appointments to reduce the risk of corruption.
The group’s chief Daniel Bruce said: “It should be deeply concerning that all too often those donating large sums of money to our political leaders are then handed jobs for life, making our laws in Parliament.
“This is inconsistent with the spirit of laws intended to protect the integrity of the upper House.”
He criticised the absence of meaningful checks on political appointments and “limitless ability” of the prime minister to appoint cronies to the Lords.
“To mitigate corruption risks at the heart of Westminster, the House of Lords Appointments Commission should be strengthened, and the prime minister’s discretion over appointments should be greatly reduced,” he said.
Transparency International found that 68 out of 284 nominations from political parties between 2013 and 2023 were political donors, handing over £58 million to various parties.
Twelve of the appointments had given over £1m or more, with £54m coming from “super donors,” representing 92 per cent of all donations from peers during this period.
Ninety-one per cent of these contributions by value (£53.4 million) went to the Conservative Party.
Although it is against the law to “sell” peerages, there is a striking correlation between those donating to political parties and those awarded lifetime appointments in the House of Lords, the report says.
Transparency International senior research officer Rose Whiffen added: “Currently, sanctions only focus on curtailing a Lord’s ability to participate in the chamber, but attention should also be given to the other privilege a peerage bestows — the title — and the circumstances in which this should be revoked.”
It has listed a raft of recommendations including removing the unlimited power of patronage from the prime minister and strengthening the role of the appointments commission to allow it to veto appointments and fully vet both political and non-political appointees.
Major Tory Party donor Stuart Marks was among 13 new peers announced by the government in February.
The technology entrepreneur and former senior treasurer for the party had personally donated £119,500 to the Tories and another £56,500 through his company.
