Big-money donations poison British politics. We can stop the mega-rich buying access and influence | Gordon Brown

I’ve seen how imbalances in campaign spending can distort democracy. The multimillion-pound gifts to Reform must act as a final wake-up call

The British people cannot be bought, but their views and votes can be heavily influenced by a flood of political party propaganda – from expensive advertising and constant leaflet drops to personalised online messages targeted directly at voters.

When I fought the election of 2010, there was a massive imbalance in spending. In 2007 we had inherited Labour party debts of £25m following the 2005 election – and with such tight finances Labour was able to spend only £8m in 2010, in contrast to the Conservatives’ £17m. We lost out in particular by being unable to invest in the new forms of online advertising coming on stream.

Gordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010