News releases

 Nine political parties registered in Great Britain reported accepting a total of almost £7 million in donations between 1 October and 31 December 2011, according to new figures published by the Electoral Commission, the independent party funding watchdog.

The three political parties to accept the most in donations were:

• Conservative and Unionist Party - £3,220,562
• Labour Party - £2,315,038
• Liberal Democrats - £1,076,469

During the fourth quarter of 2011, six parties accepted donations from public funds of just over £2 million (see Notes to Editors).

The Conservative and Unionist Party reported four donations totalling £134,711 late to the Electoral Commission. Three other political parties (Green Party, Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats) reported a total of £17,049 in donations late. All these donations should have been reported in previous quarters.

Figures for 2011 as a whole show that:

• Political parties accepted £34,642,768 in donations
• Political parties accepted £9,120,204 in public funds
• The total amount of outstanding loans to political parties as at 31 December 2011 was £14,739,431

Lisa Klein, Director of Party and Election Finance at the Electoral Commission said:

“Over the last year, political parties have got better at reporting their donations and loans. However, I am concerned that the Conservative Party submitted such a large amount late. I have written to them seeking an explanation.

“Political parties must submit their funding details in a timely and accurate manner. Transparency is an important factor when it comes to maintaining trust and confidence in politics.”

A PDF summary of this quarter's donations and loans figures is available at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/146653/Summary-of-Q4-2011-donations-and-borrowing.pdf

An analysis of donations reported in the fourth quarter of 2011 is available at:www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/party-finance-analysis/party-funding/party-finance-analysis-Q4-2011   

Full details of all donations and loans are available on our registers at: https://pefonline.electoralcommission.org.uk/search/searchintro.aspx

Separately, following last year’s publication of the campaign spending figures for the various polls that took place in 2011, the Electoral Commission has today published a report that analyses that spending. This relates to the 2011 Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly elections and the referendum on the UK Parliamentary Voting System (PVS).

To see the analyses and last year’s spending figures, visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/party-finance-analysis/campaign-expenditure/2011-elections

For further information contact:

The Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704
Out of office hours 07789 920414 

Notes to Editors

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance, set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulations of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
2. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) requires GB and NI registered parties to report cash and non-cash donations and borrowing on a quarterly basis to the Electoral Commission. Political parties must report all donations and borrowing over £7,500 to the central party, or over £1,500 to an accounting unit, to the Electoral Commission. This includes aggregates of donations and loans from the same source. Prior to 1 January 2010, these thresholds were £5,000 and £1,000, respectively.
3. Public funds are donations from the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Electoral Commission. ‘Short’ and ‘Cranborne’ grants are available to parties in opposition in the House of Commons or House of Lords respectively.
4. Some donations appear on the register as being from the Electoral Commission. These are Policy Development Grants, which were established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 for parties represented in the Commons by two or more sitting members. The grants are intended to assist parties in developing the policies that they will present in an election manifesto. The legislation provides the total sum of £2 million annually for this purpose. Policy Development Grants became reportable as donations for the first time in quarter three of 2006 as a result of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.
5. A party commits an offence if, without a reasonable excuse, it fails to report donations or loans in the quarter in which they were accepted. Sanctions apply only to those donations and loans that have had to be reported since 1 December 2010. Where we establish that an offence has been committed, we will consider both mitigating and aggravating factors to determine whether to issue a sanction and if so, the most appropriate in line with our Enforcement Policy. The sanctions we can apply include a fixed monetary penalty of £200, a variable monetary penalty between £250-£20,000, or a compliance notice requiring particular action by the party.More information on our enforcement policy can be found at http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/106743/Enforcement-Policy-30March11.pdf
6. The figures reported for donations and borrowing have been rounded to the nearest £. Exact figures are available on our website.