Labour to curb dark money donations

Labour will end the use of "dodgy front companies" who hide the source of dark money for political donations as part of its sweeping elections bill, which will give votes to 16-year-olds and pave the way for "opt-out" voter registration.

- Jessica Elgot

Gifts and hospitality for politicians sponsored by foreign states or companies will also be severely restricted, the Guardian understands.

The government also intends to put new restrictions on cryptocurrency donations and the size of foreign donations.

Elon Musk was once reported to have been interested in a multimillion-pound donation to Reform UK, but later said he had been unimpressed by its leader, Nigel Farage.

The communities secretary, Steve Reed, said the bill being introduced to the Commons today would be "the biggest reset to our democratic system since the second world war", potentially adding millions to the electoral roll and introducing tough new laws to stop foreign donations being hidden in shell companies.