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Details of political parties spending £250,000 or less at the 5 May UK Parliamentary election are published today in the registers section on The Electoral Commissions website.

All parties and third parties spending £250,000 or less at the UK Parliamentary election were required to submit expenditure returns to The Electoral Commission within 3 months of the election, by 4 August 2005. Returns in excess of this amount will need to be reported to the Commission within 6 months of the election, by 4 November 2005.

31 registered political parties (GB) submitted expenditure reports as below.
In addition, 44 registered political parties submitted nil returns.
25 parties which contested the election failed to submit any return. 

In Northern Ireland, 6 registered political parties submitted expenditure returns as below:
2 parties which contested the election failed to submit any return.

18 registered third parties submitted expenditure reports as below.
1 registered third party submitted a nil return.
4 registered third parties failed to submit any return.

Third parties who received donations for the purpose of funding election campaigns were required to submit a return, and these were as follows:

A number of smaller parties and third parties failed to submit the required expenditure reports by the statutory deadline for many it was the first time they had contested or campaigned at a UK Parliamentary election. The Commission is working with these parties to improve their reporting systems to ensure future compliance with the law.

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For further information contact:

Gemma Thomas on 020 7271 0527 or Maxine Hoeksma on 020 7271 0531

Out of office hours 07789 920 414

press@electoralcommission.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our mission is to foster public confidence and participation by promoting integrity, involvement and effectiveness in the democratic process.

2. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000) states that campaign spending includes expenditure on party political broadcasts, advertising, material sent to electors, manifestos and other documents, market research, press conferences and dealings with the media, transport and rallies and other events. The controls applied for the 12 months ending with the date of the poll.

3. 2005 was the first time that political parties contesting elections were subject to joint campaigning rules and regulations due to the overlapping regulated periods. Therefore, parties standing in both the June 2004 European and May 2005 Westminster Parliamentary elections had to submit a joint return covering both elections. This also applied to recognised third parties.

4. In total, 117 registered political parties contested the 2005 UK Parliamentary elections and are required to submit a campaign expenditure return. Of these, 26 parties also contested the 2004 European Parliamentary election. The combined regulated period was from 11 February 2004 5 May 2005.