There are controls on third parties acting in concert (Section 94(6), Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000). If an organisation incurs expenditure as part of a joint plan or arrangement with another body (whether or not a recognised third party), each body would be treated as having incurred the total amount of expenditure regardless of its individual contribution. For example, if two organisations contribute £5,000 and £10,000 respectively to the cost of a jointly produced leaflet, each organisation would be deemed to have incurred controlled expenditure of £15,000.
These controls do not apply to recognised third parties who run wholly separate campaigns in support of the same party or category of candidates. The legislation does not limit the number of third parties, only the amount each can spend.
