Public more likely to link economic crime to politicians than oligarchs – poll

More than half the public associate politicians with economic crime, a poll of more than 6,000 people has found.

The poll found 54.8% of people listed politicians as one of the three groups they most associated with economic crime – more than mentioned oligarchs or business executives.

Oligarchs and kleptocrats were mentioned by 45% of people, while senior executives of big businesses were mentioned by 44% and bankers by 28.5%.

The findings follow years of declining trust in politicians in general. A 2023 survey by King’s College London’s Policy Institute found trust in parliament had halved since 1990, while a study by the IPPR think tank found the proportion of people who think politicians are “merely out for themselves” had “rapidly accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic”.

That period has also seen repeated allegations about improper awarding of Government contracts, particularly for PPE procurement during the pandemic, and renewed focus on Russian assets in the UK following the invasion of Ukraine.

Labour MP and veteran anti-corruption campaigner Dame Margaret Hodge said: “This polling is damning.

“The public think that politicians have more to answer for than Russian oligarchs and corrupt kleptocrats when it comes to dirty money in the UK.

“But who can blame them? These findings follow years of ministers failing to be tough enough on economic crime, underinvesting in law enforcement and welcoming dirty Russian money with open arms.

“If we want to win back the trust of our constituents then we must get serious about our dirty money problem.”

Susan Hawley, executive director of Spotlight on Corruption, agreed the findings were “alarming”.

She said: “With trust in politicians at rock bottom, this shows that the fight against economic crime must go hand-in-hand with the UK cleaning up its own house and tackling integrity at the heart of Westminster, if this agenda is to be taken seriously by voters.”

Carried out by Survation on behalf of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition, the poll also found a widespread belief that the Government was not doing enough to combat economic crime.

Some 45% of people said they did not think the Government took economic crime seriously, only slightly fewer than the 46% who said the opposite.

Meanwhile, 83% of people said they viewed the issue of economic crime in the UK “seriously”, including 45% who said they thought they issue was “very serious”, with many backing greater regulation.

Rachel Davies, co-chair of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and advocacy director at Transparency International UK, said: “Our research shows that across all voting intentions, the public exhibits a clear will for more to be done to tackle economic crime, including the use of property to launder dirty money.

“Politicians of all stripes campaigning in the next general election should take note of this, and clearly outline exactly what they’ll do if elected. The public wants decisive and effective action.”

The poll, carried out by Survation, surveyed 6,466 UK adults between September 26 and October 9 2023.