In September, the Commons will debate the Sovereign Grant Bill 2026
The bill is needed because the Conservatives’ original 2011 bill allowed the Sovereign Grant, intended to support the work of the monarchy, to increase but not decrease. As the Grant has been massively increased to cover the costs of refurbishing Buckingham Palace, primary legislation is needed to reset it to a more reasonable level.
However, what is being proposed is a reduction to a mere £99.9 million, which, in real terms, is well over twice the original level of the grant.
We need MPs to challenge this. Why, after spending two years talking about budgetary black holes and the need for restraint, did the former PM and Chancellor agree to propose such a massive increase for monarchy?
Although the bill is quite limited in its scope, it offers MPs a rare chance to question the whole system by which the monarchy is funded, but few will take the opportunity unless pushed by their constituents. It’s a time for us to act.
You can read our briefing on the bill here.
