Andy Burnham's right-hand woman Louise Haigh says donations cap 'under consideration' in wake of Reform UK's £72m windfall

Andy Burnham's right-hand woman today said further action on political donations was 'under consideration' in the wake of Reform UK's £72million windfall.Louise Haigh, who is First Secretary of State, said the Government would consider amendments to proposed laws that are currently passing through Parliament.She also said Labour ministers would return with a 'much bigger piece of legislation' before the next general election.It comes after Reform received twin record-breaking £36million donations from crypto-billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne earlier this month.The mega donations have sparked fresh scrutiny of political funding in the UK, with MPs and peers demanding a tough crackdown.The Government has already moved to introduce a £100,000 cap on the amount of money that can be given to parties by British citizens overseas.But ministers have also faced demands to impose a cap on donations from those living in the UK.Appearing at a fringe event at Labour's conference in Liverpool on Sunday, Ms Haigh was asked whether the Government would implement a cap on domestic political donations in order to combat foreign-based donors working around current rules. Louise Haigh, who is First Secretary of State, said the Government would consider amendments to proposed laws that are currently passing through Parliament. It comes after Nigel Farage's Reform UK received twin record-breaking £36million donations from crypto-billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne earlier this monthShe replied: 'The Representation of the People's Bill is passing through Parliament. We will consider amendments and how we can tackle it through there.'But your point about how skilful these people are about moving money around and exploiting loopholes is exactly why we need to get this totally right in this attempt.'We'll consider amendments through that but then we're going to have to come back to a much bigger piece of legislation in the Parliament to look at everything in the round, including foreign interference in our politics more generally not just through cash of course.'So it's under consideration. But we need to make sure we get it right and that we don't allow foreign billionaires to buy access and buy democratic change in this country.'Ms Haigh also pointed to how a Whitehall 'task and finish' team is looking at political funding rules, as well as other issues around the UK's democracy.'This task and finish group is looking at that from the centre and for the first time that brings in everyone - the Home Office, all departments that have some kind of impact or some kind of policy ownership in this area,' she added.'We saw it in the Makerfield by-election, the Russian bots that were so active on every Facebook page and really, really changing opinions and influencing opinion on the ground.'That's equally as important as cleaning up money in politics. So it's all under active consideration.'Ms Haigh was later asked whether she is just as worried about donations from wealthy UK citizens as she is about donations from foreign millionaires or billionaires.'Any individual having outsized influence - which of course they will have if that's the kind of money they're donating - is pernicious to a democracy, of course it is,' she said.Reform leader Nigel Farage has previously criticised Government plans to retrospectively apply a £100,000 cap on contributions from overseas donors.Mr Delo and Mr Harborne have been based in Hong Kong and Thailand respectively, though they are reported to have already returned to the UK. Reform has insisted their donations are in line with both current rules and planned restrictions on money from donors based abroad, which would also apply for the first 12 months after expats come back to Britain.The party has also accused Labour of 'hypocrisy' over the huge sums it receives from trade unions.Union bosses recently said their funding of political parties should not be put in the same category as donations from wealthy individuals as they expressed their alarm at Reform's mega-donations.Britain's elections watchdog recently said it could slash political spending limits as part of a Government-commissioned review amid the row over Reform's donations.Vijay Rangarajan, the chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said he is looking at whether current rules on spending by political parties are 'fit for purpose'.His review will look at current spending limits, reporting requirements for donations, and the amount that can be spent between designated election periods.The review was first commissioned by the Government in July, with Ms Haigh and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner having written to Mr Rangarajan last month to express their view that current spending limits are 'too high' and ought to be cut.Under existing restrictions, parties standing candidates in Britain must not spend more than £34million in the year before a general election.It has left Mr Farage facing the prospect of the impact of Reform's mega-donations being blunted.