27 May 2009
Seventeen political parties registered in Great Britain have reported receiving just over £9.1 million in donations, according to new figures published by the Electoral Commission.
The law requires that parties only accept donations from certain, "permissible" sources, and that they report details of their donations and borrowing to the Commission, the independent regulator of party and election finance, every three months. The Commission publishes this information so that people can see where political parties get their money from. It makes sure that parties are following the rules on donations and takes action when they are broken.
The donations, details of which are published today, were accepted between January and March 2009. During the same period, five of the parties also received payments from public funds totalling just over £2.1 million.
As at 31 March 2009, the total loans entered into by parties stood at just over £20 million, credit facilities (such as overdrafts) at £10.5 million and connected transactions (such as guarantees) at £330,000
The Commission’s registers of donations and borrowing for the first quarter of 2009 show that:
Donations
- Seventeen political parties reported donations totalling £9,103,487 (excluding public funds) accepted between 1 January and 31 March 2009.
- The three political parties to receive the most in donations were:
o Conservative Party- £4,282,916
o Labour party- £2,800,796
o Liberal Democrat party- £826,751
- Five parties received a total of £2,133,162 in public funds.
- Six out of the 335 registered parties failed to provide their required donation return on time and will automatically incur a penalty.
- Three political parties reported donations totalling £650,180 this quarter that should have been reported in previous quarters:
o Twenty two accounting units from the Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Labour parties reported 51 donations this quarter that should have been reported in previous quarters. The total amount of donations reported late was £147,930.
o The Labour Party also reported two donations to the National Party this quarter that should have been reported in previous quarters. These donations totalled £502,250.
The Commission will be checking each of these parties’ systems to establish the reasons for this late reporting, and how each party intends to avoid it in future.
- The British National Party reported that it had returned five donations totalling £4,100 because they were not from permissible sources.
- The Commission is currently checking the permissibility of all donations reported by all parties in quarter one and will take action over any breaches of the rules.
Borrowing
- The Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and UK Independence parties entered into new loans totalling £73,688 between them.
- The total amount of repaid loans reported was £5,072 (including loans converted to donations).
- The total amount of loans taken out and not yet repaid stands at £20,019,098.
- The Liberal Democrat party reduced the amount available through existing credit facilities by £40,000 and the Liberal Democrat and Jury Team parties established new credit facilities of £6,000 and £20,000 respectively.
- The total amount currently available to various parties through credit facilities is £10,544,500.
- The total amount of connected transactions on behalf of parties is £330,000.
- 12 out of 335 registered parties failed to provide their required borrowing return on time and will automatically incur a penalty.
- The Labour Party reported a £2,500 increment of an existing loan this quarter that should have been reported in a previous quarter.
Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission said: "Political parties play an important role in our democracy. They set out competing views and policies from which we can choose at the ballot box, and need to be able to raise money to campaign. But they must do so in line with the law if we are to be able to ensure that the public can have confidence that the system of party funding is transparent. An important part of that system is timely and accurate completion of forms giving the Electoral Commission - and voters - information on donations. This enables us to check that donations are legal, and allows voters to see who funds the parties they may want to support.
"So it is sad to see that so many constituency parties have reported donations late. Even allowing for the pressures on volunteer treasurers this is worrying, particularly as we enter what is likely to be a sustained period of campaigning prior to the European elections, local government elections, and of course a forthcoming general election. We will do everything we can to make sure that volunteer treasurers know that help and advice is available from us if they should need it.
"But it is also unacceptable that large donations to central party headquarters continue to be reported late. We have informed all the parties who reported donations late to us that we will be carrying out checks to assess the systems that they have in place, and will continue to work with them to ensure compliance with the law."
A summary of the donations and loans declared in the first quarter of 2009 follows below. Full details of all donations and loans are available on our registers.
For further information contact:
The Electoral Commission press office on 0207 271 0704
Out of office hours 07789 920414
Email press@electoralcommission.org.uk
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 and set standards for well-run elections.
2. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) requires GB and NI registered parties to report cash and non-cash donations and loans on a quarterly basis to the Electoral Commission. Parties must report any donation or loans above £5,000 made to the central party, or donations or loans exceeding £1,000 made to a local accounting unit.
3. From 1 November 2007 parties on the Northern Ireland register of political parties were required to conform to donation controls and from July 2008 with controls on loans. As required by the legislation, permissible donations and borrowing reported to us will not be published. These are transitional arrangements that will apply until October 2010 at the earliest.
4. Parties may accept donations of over £200 only if they are deemed 'permissible' under the terms of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000 at the time the donation was made.
5. The figures reported for donations and borrowing have been rounded to the nearest £. Exact figures are available on our website.
6. In previous press releases loans, credit facilities and connected transactions have been presented as a total for ‘borrowing’. To aid clarity, the figures are now presented separately.
7. Credit facilities are an agreement where a registered party is entitled to receive a loan of money from time to time from another person (or organisation). The credit facility will generally have an upper limit specified in the credit facility agreement. Examples of common credit facilities include overdrafts and credit cards. The amount displayed is the maximum that can be borrowed and not the amount that is drawn upon at any one time.
8. Connected transactions are an arrangement where a person (or organisation) gives any form of security on behalf of a political party in respect of a loan or a credit facility arranged with someone other than the party or the person giving security. Where a person (or organisation) has provided security or a guarantee, it is the maximum that they could be liable to pay.
Summary of Q1 2009 donations and loans
Donations
Donations to all political parties over the last four quarters
| Quarter | Donations excluding public funds (£) | Public funds (£) | Donations total (£) |
| Quarter one 2009 | 9,103,487 | 2,133,162 | 11,236,649 |
| Quarter four 2008 | 8,926,237 | 2,335,763 | 11,262,000 |
| Quarter three 2008 | 13,545,707 | 2,042,480 | 15,588,187 |
| Quarter two 2008 | 10,823,404 | 2,282,344 | 13,105,748 |
| Total | 42,398,835 | 8,793,749 | 51,192,584 |
Note: further analysis is available on our website.
Donations to political parties accepted in quarter one 2009 (January to March)
| Party | Donations excluding public funds (£) | Public funds (£) | Donations total (£) |
| British National Party | 25,232.00 | 0 | 25,232.00 |
| Christian Peoples Alliance | 3,399.69 | 0 | 3,399.69 |
| Conservative Party | 4,282,915.95 | 1,231,384.02 | 5,514,299.97 |
| Co-operative Party | 350,515.00 | 0 | 350,515.00 |
| Green Party | 21,680.00 | 0 | 21,680.00 |
| Jury Team | 17,143.00 | 0 | 17,143.00 |
| Labour Party | 2,800,795.80 | 104,200.05 | 2,904,995.85 |
| Liberal Democrats | 826,751.40 | 666,017.11 | 1,492,768.51 |
| Mum’s Army | 8,972.50 | 0 | 8,972.50 |
| Mums4justice | 8,972.50 | 0 | 8,972.50 |
| New Party | 16,000.00 | 0 | 16,000.00 |
| No2EU: Yes to Democracy | 45,000.00 | 0 | 45,000.00 |
| Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales | 106,238.70 | 89,431.82 | 195,670.52 |
| Pro Democracy:Libertas.eu | 1,000.00 | 0 | 1,000.00 |
| Scottish National Party | 55,921.33 | 42,128.99 | 98,050.32 |
| Scottish Voice | 70,000.00 | 0 | 70,000.00 |
| UK Independence Party | 462,948.74 | 0 | 462,948.74 |
| Total | 9,103,486.61 | 2,133,161.99 | 11,236,648.60 |
Donations reported as being returned due to impermissibility
| Party | Donations total (£) | Number of donations |
| British National Party | 4,100 | 5 |
| Total donations reported as being returned | 4,100 | 5 |
Donations accepted in previous quarters and reported late this quarter
Donations reported this quarter that should have been reported in previous quarters totalled £659,367.05.
| Party | Number of donations (accounting units) | Value of donations (£) (accounting units) | Number of donations (National party) | Value of donations (£) (National party) |
| Conservative Party | 18 | 60,239 | 0 | 0 |
| Labour Party | 4 | 7,308 | 2 | 502,250 |
| Liberal Democrats | 29 | 80,383 | 0 | 0 |
| Total donations reported late | 51 | 147,930 | 2 | 502,250 |
Public funds
The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party received a total of £1,628,426 in Short money, which is paid directly by the UK Parliament to opposition parties in the House of Commons.
The Conservative Party, Labour Party, and Liberal Democrats received £154,335.90 in assistance paid directly to opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats also received a total of £99,021.60 in Cranborne money which is for opposition parties in the House of Lords.
The Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party claimed a total of £251,378.49 in Policy Development Grants which are allocated according to a formula approved by the UK Parliament and distributed by the Electoral Commission.
Borrowing
New loans in quarter one 2009 (January to March)
| Party | Total amount of new loans (£) |
| Conservative Party | 25,000 |
| Labour Party | 1,393 |
| Liberal Democrats | 44,895 |
| UK Independence Party | 2,400 |
| Total new loans | 73,688 |
Note: Further details including the date the loan was entered into, date repayable, interest rate (whether fixed, variable or nil), whether security was given and details of the lender are available on the Electoral Commission website.
Loans repaid in full or converted to donation in quarter one 2009 (January to March)
| Party | Loans converted to donations (£) | Loans repaid in full (£) | Total reduction of loans (£) |
| Labour Party | 0 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1,473 | 0 | 1,473 |
| UK Independence Party | 1,099 | 0 | 1,099 |
| Total loans repaid | 2,572 | 2,500 | 5,072 |
Note: Changes to terms and conditions of borrowings (such as changes to interest rate and repayment or review date) must be reported to the Electoral Commission. These details are available to view on the Commission website.
Total loans by party as at 31 March 2009 (not including partial repayments)
| Party | Loans (£) |
| Conservative Party | 6,922,552 |
| English Democrats | 101,447 |
| Labour Party | 11,558,673 |
| Left List | 10,000 |
| Liberal Democrats | 566,593 |
| People's Party for a Better Government | 7,800 |
| Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales | 9,413 |
| Progressive Party | 100,000 |
| Respect – The Unity Coalition | 18,417 |
| Scottish National Party | 444,503 |
| Scottish Socialist Party | 63,000 |
| Scottish Voice | 200,000 |
| Solidarity Scotland's Socialist Movement | 13,500 |
| UK Independence Party | 3,200 |
| Total loans at 31 December 2008 | 20,019,098 |
New credit facilities in quarter one 2009 (January to March)
| Party | Total amount of new credit facility (£) |
| Jury Team | 20.000 |
| Liberal Democrats | 6,000 |
| Total new loans | 26,000 |
Reduction of credit facility in quarter one 2009 (January to March)
| Party | Extinguished credit facilities (£) | Reduction of credit facility (£) |
| Liberal Democrats | 35,000 | 5,000 |
| Total reduction of credit facility |
35,000 | 5,000 |
| Party | Credit facilities (£) |
| Conservative Party | 5,141,500 |
| Jury Party | 20,000 |
| Labour Party | 4,209,000 |
| Liberal Democrats | 552,000 |
| Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales | 300,000 |
| Progressive Party | 5,000 |
| Scottish National Party | 307,000 |
| Scottish Socialist Party | 10,000 |
| Maximum amount of money available in credit facilities at 31 March 2009 | 10,544,500 |
Total amount of connected transactions as at 31 March 2009
| Party | Connected transactions (£) |
| Conservative Party | 10,000 |
| Liberal Democrats | 25,000 |
| Progressive Party | 105,000 |
| Scottish National Party | 190,000 |
| Total number of connected transactions at 31 December 2008 | 330,000 |
Borrowing reported this quarter that were entered into during previous quarters totalled £2,500.
| Party | Loans total (£) | Number of Loans |
| Labour Party (increment of existing loan) | 2,500 | 1 |
| Total borrowing reported late | 2,500 | 1 |
Notes
1. Charts and tables providing comparisons to previous quarters can be accessed at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/party-finance-analysis/party-finance-analysis-Q1-2009 and here www.electoralcommission.org.uk/party-finance/party-finance-analysis. To search the register of donations to political parties, visit the Commission’s website www.electoralcommission.org.uk and go to the registers page using the 'party finance' link at the top of the home page.
2. Details of all loans can be found here (along with details of interest rates and repayment or review dates): http://registers.electoralcommission.org.uk/regulatory-issues/loanstopolparties.cfm/_nocache
3. Table of donations reported in quarter one 2009 which should have been reported previously can be accessed here in the "Lates" tab http://registers.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/22730
4. Table of loans and credit facilities reported in quarter one 2009 which should have been reported previously can be accessed here: http://registers.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/22745
5. The penalties for failure to submit statutory returns on time can be found at section 147 of PPERA, here: www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2000/ukpga_20000041_en_15#pt10-pb5-l1g147
6. Some donations appear on the register as being from the House of Lords or House of Commons. These are Short and Cranborne grants which are available to parties in opposition in the House of Commons and House of Lords respectively.
7. Some donations appear on the register as being from the Electoral Commission. These are Policy Development Grants which were established by PPERA 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.
8. Quarter four 2008 figures on donations and borrowing were published by the Electoral Commission on 25 February 2009. The press release can be accessed at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/news-and-media/news-releases/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/political-partiesrsquo-latest-donations-and-borrowing-figures-published
