UK political parties’ accounts published for 2021
UK political parties’ accounts published
Financial accounts of political parties and accounting units have been published today by the Electoral Commission. The accounts of 18 political parties and ten accounting units in the United Kingdom with income or expenditure over £250,000 have been published. The accounts are for the year ending 31 December 2021.
Louise Edwards, Director of Regulation at the Electoral Commission, said:
“We are committed to making sure political funding is transparent. Larger parties spend and receive considerable sums of money so it’s important that information on their finances is accessible to the public. Publishing their accounts allows voters to see how parties are funded and choose to spend their money.”
Party income or expenditure over £250,000
Nineteen parties in the UK reported having an income or expenditure of more than £250,000. Due to an extended deadline for one party, we are publishing the accounts of 18 parties today.
In total, these parties reported £100,299,297 of income and £105,951,989 of expenditure. This compares with 15 parties that reported over £250,000 in 2020, reporting totals of £86,441,126 of income and £91,960,717 of expenditure.
| Party | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| Alba Party | £474,012 | £411,245 |
| Alliance - Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | £316,893 | £256,627 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | £31,744,000 | £31,425,000 |
| Co-operative Party | £1,272,024 | £1,219,521 |
| Democratic Unionist Party (D.U.P) | £339,221 | £314,987 |
| Green Party | £3,086,556 | £3,072,845 |
| Labour Party | £45,564,000 | £50,769,000 |
| Liberal Democrat | £5,733,339 | £6,659,541 |
| London Real Party | £280,114 | £273,540 |
| Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales | £985,686 | £1,109,860 |
| Scottish Green Party | £635,825 | £677,531 |
| Scottish National Party (SNP) | £4,510,460 | £5,262,032 |
| SDLP (Social Democratic & Labour Party) | £253,997 | £256,576 |
| Sinn Féin | £1,532,946 | £1,264,562 |
| The Reclaim Party | £1,850,002 | £1,624,642 |
| The Socialist Party of Great Britain | £551,810 | £80,344 |
| Ulster Unionist Party | £376,309 | £408,866 |
| Women's Equality Party | £792,103 | £865,270 |
In addition to the parties listed above, in July the Commission published the accounts of 331 political parties that reported an income and expenditure of £250,000 or less.
Political parties’ financial accounts are available on the Commission’s website.
Accounting unit income and expenditure
Political parties can register 'accounting units’ with the Electoral Commission. These are constituent or affiliated units of a political party, including constituency parties, which have separate finances from the main party.
Ten accounting units in the UK reported income or expenditure of more than £250,000.
In total, these ten accounting units reported £10,423,890 income and £10,176,988 expenditure.
The ten accounting units that reported the highest income and expenditure above £250,000:
| Party | Accounting unit | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Canterbury | £283,515 | £97,851 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Cities of London and Westminster | £479,323 | £426,444 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Croydon | £367,067 | £187,369 |
| Labour Party | Scotland | £1,235,950 | £1,231,566 |
| Liberal Democrats | ALDC | £1,167,274 | £1,204,972 |
| Liberal Democrats | England | £2,627,913 | £2,662,148 |
| Liberal Democrats | London | £446,149 | £512,692 |
| Liberal Democrats | Parliamentary office | £1,442,074 | £1,367,928 |
| Liberal Democrats | Scotland | £811,877 | £900,967 |
| Scottish National Party (SNP) | Westminster Group | £1,562,748 | £1,585,051 |
The financial accounts of all accounting units are available on the Commission’s website.
Comparisons with totals in previous years
Below are the total sums of all financial accounts for political parties and their accounting units above the £250,000 threshold in the two previous financial years:
Political parties
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | £100,299,297 | £86,441,126 | £186,189,829 |
| Expenditure | £105,951,989 | £91,960,717 | £169,485,781 |
Accounting units
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | £10,423,890 | £9,330,756 | £12,119,615 |
| Expenditure | £10,176,988 | £9,039,842 | £11,633,756 |
The income and expenditure of parties and accounting units differs each year, so they may fall into different reporting thresholds. The total sums of all 2021 financial accounts compared with those from 2019 and 2020 provide a general comparison and do not necessarily compare the same parties and accounting units.
Incomplete submissions
The Reclaim Party’s submission was incomplete because it failed to include an auditor’s report alongside its statement of accounts, which is required by law.
Reform UK applied for an extension to allow time to deliver their accounts.
Where parties and accounting units deliver incomplete or late accounts, we may take appropriate and proportionate action in line with our Enforcement Policy.
Ends
For further information please contact the press office on 020 7271 0704 or email [email protected]. For outside office hours call 07789 920414.
Notes to editors
Notes to editors:
1. The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity by:
- enabling the delivery of free and fair elections and referendums, focusing on the needs of electors and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and accessible
- regulating political finance – taking proactive steps to increase transparency, ensure compliance and pursue breaches
- using our expertise to make and advocate for changes to our democracy, aiming to improve fairness, transparency and efficiency
The Commission was set up in 2000 and reports to the UK, Scottish and Welsh parliaments.
2. All registered political parties must submit annual statements of accounts. Political parties with income or expenditure of more than £250,000 are required by law to independently audit their accounts and include this report in their submission. The fact that a statement of accounts has been placed on the Commission’s website should not be taken to indicate that the Electoral Commission has verified or validated it.
3. Figures for income and expenditure have been rounded. Please see our online database for exact amounts.
4. Accounting units with income and expenditure that are either £25,000 or less are not required to submit their accounts.
5. Details of how failures to submit a statement of accounts by the deadline have been dealt with in the past can be found in our publication of closed cases.