A roadmap for rebuilding public trust in politics
Think tank: Nesta
Author(s): Aleks Berditchevskaia; Kathy Peach; Olivia Stamp
July 2, 2026
This report from Nesta explores whether changing the rules on political party funding can rebuild public trust in our political system.
The topic of political party finance has increasingly captured media and public scrutiny in recent years, culminating with the Rycroft Review in December 2025, which examined foreign financial influence and interference in the UK. Not long after, the government launched the representation of the people bill, proposing major changes to how elections are run and how parties are funded during elections. But what do the public think about political party finance?
Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence teamed up with New Citizen Project to ask the public one big question: can changing the rules on political party funding rebuild public trust in our political system?
