Donations and lobbying control our political system: Yorkshire Post Letters

We will never know to what extent lobbying or financial links to fossil fuel money influenced the approval of the Jackdaw gas field.

However, a fundamental reason for the slow progress towards achieving net zero is not poor renewable technology, weak science, or lack of public support. No, it is the pervasive influence of donations and lobbying – in short, it is how money controls our political system.

Politicians have long been tempted by financial inducements: from rotten boroughs; cash for questions in the 1990s; to the 2009 expenses scandal, which included taxpayers funding duck houses for wealthy MPs; and most recently presented by Channel 4 News – ‘Reform Caught on Camera – The Foreign Money Scandal’.

Today we have a proportion of UK politicians, particularly those further up the political career ladder, accepting corporate hospitality.

From football and concert tickets to designer glasses and luxury fashion items—freebies that are often labelled “sleaze”.

In addition, are the millions of pounds Conservative, Reform and Labour parties receive from fossil fuel interests; high-pollution industries; climate science-denying groups; hedge funds; and those related to crypto currency. Without doubt this money, supplied by corporations and billionaires, buys influence ultimately to maximize profits.

Politicians can also be tempted by future lucrative jobs offered only two years after ending their political career. A recent example is Tom Watson, former Labour Deputy Leader, who acquired a job at Palantir.

There are numerous other politicians who move seamlessly between politics, lobbying, and corporations- termed the “Revolving Door”. For example, a well-known daily newspaper reported (27/10/2026) that “38 ministers, senior civil servants and special advisors [were] hired to positions in AI companies between July 2024 and September 2026.” And government bodies met 137 times with AI related businesses compared to two community groups and zero environment agencies.

Workers in the NHS, quite appropriately, were stopped from receiving “presents” from drug companies for fear of inducements. Surely, the same standard must be applied to our elected representatives who sign up to the Nolan principles of honesty, transparency, and a duty to serve the public?

Corporations are derailing the transition to clean energy and are undermining democracy in this country. As the saying goes, the UK, like the USA, has “the best democracy that money can buy.” This is corruption, and we deserve better.