By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-08-08 10:11:54 | Updated at 2026-08-08 10:32:29
2 hours ago
The donations row engulfing Labour has escalated as the Electoral Commission has been told to uncover the "true source" of a huge payment to Wes Streeting.
Reform UK's chairman, Lee Anderson, has called on Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, to explain the hefty £37,500 handed to the Defence Secretary from Labour for the Long Term (LLT) over 2022 and 2023.
It was revealed the massive payment was linked to disgraced cryptocurrency billionaire, Sam Bankman-Fried.
Now, the Ashfield MP has told the commissioner to assess whether the former Health Secretary failed to comply with the necessary regulations in place.
The Electoral Commission was also encouraged to find the "permissibility and true source" of the donations.
Senior figures in the party were said to have raised concerns over the source of LLT's funds. However, there is no suggestion these concerns were communicated to the Ilford North MP.
David Lawrence, who founded LLT in 2022, accepted around £500,000 from the disgraced financier just one month before the think tank made its first donation.
Bankman-Fried, a longstanding Democrat backer, was sentenced to 25 years in jail after being convicted of stealing billions of dollars from his customers.
Mr Streeting's spokesman said he had never contacted the disgraced financier
PA
Mr Lawrence stood down as Labour's parliamentary candidate in Basingstoke after being questioned about his relationship with Bankman-Fried.
He went on to dispute claims that high-profile figures within the party had been advised not to accept his donations.
Mr Lawrence has denied that Bankman-Fried's gift was used to fund LLT's political donations.
Under current regulations, MPs are not allowed to accept donations from foreigners.
Lee Anderson requested the Electoral Commission investigate the donation
PA
However, "unincorporated associations" can accept the payments without declaring the donation.
Mr Streeting's spokesman said he had never contacted the disgraced financier, nor was his name even mentioned during talks with the Labour think tank.
When his team requested a donor list, Mr Lawrence was on the list - Bankman-Fried was not mentioned, however.
A spokesman for the Ilford North MP said: "Full due diligence was carried out before accepting these donations, as is always the case.
"This included Labour for the Long Term providing a list of their funders; this list at no point included the individual in question. This due diligence was carried out with and by the Labour Party, in the usual way.
"None of this due diligence gave any indication that the money came from anywhere other than the declared sources. Wes has had no contact with this individual and he was never mentioned in any discussions with LLT.
"All donations were and are declared in the proper way, in accordance with the rules."
Meanwhile, a Labour Party spokesman said: "The Labour Party carried out due diligence checks ahead of these donations being received, through which no issues were identified."
