The report warns that the ultra-rich are gaining more political power: "unelected power reshaping Britain"

A new study from the Equality Trust says that the ultra-rich are gaining "unelected power," which is changing British politics in ways that could threaten democracy and take power away from regular voters. The study Money, Media, and Lords:How the Ultra-Rich Are Shaping Britain discovered a robust, statistically significant correlation between the wealth accumulation of the top 1% and their increasing influence in politics and the media. The number of members of the unelected House of Lords has grown from 676 to 803 in the last 20 years. At the same time, big political donations (over £250,000) have gone from £7.6 million to more than £47 million. This big rise shows that money is becoming a big way to get power. In the meantime, the ownership of national media has become more and more concentrated.

The top three media companies in the UK now own about 90% of the market, up from 71% a few years ago. The study calls this mix of money, control of the media, and political connections "structural corruption." This isn't always against the law, but it makes things less fair and less accountable to the public. Some people are worried that this trend hurts real democratic representation because it gives a small number of rich people a lot of power over important votes, laws, and public debate. The Equality Trust says that immediate changes are needed to make sure that democracy works for everyone, not just the rich. These changes include strict limits on political donations, limits on patronage and appointments without elections, more diverse media ownership, and more help for independent, local news.