Political parties accept £22m in donations in first quarter of 2024
Political parties accept £22m in donations in first quarter of 2024
Political parties registered in the UK have reported accepting £22,974,403 in donations and public funds during the first quarter of 2024, according to figures published today by the Electoral Commission. This compares to £20,968,509 in the same quarter in the previous year.
Louise Edwards, Director of Regulation and Digital Transformation, said:
“It is common to see donations to political parties grow ahead of an expected – and now scheduled – general election. They reached £22 million in the opening quarter of the year.
“These figures also reflect the new reporting thresholds, which were changed by the UK Government last year, meaning there is a higher threshold for what parties need to report to us.
“While there is no limit to the amount that parties can raise, there are spending limits in place for campaigning ahead of elections to ensure a level playing field.”
The political parties required to report donations in Q1 2024, including public funds, were:
| Party | Total reported | Donations accepted (excl. public funds) | Public funds accepted | Total accepted in this quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance - Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | £41,403 | £16,500 | £24,903 | £41,403 |
| Animal Welfare Party | £20,000 | £20,000 | £0 | £20,000 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party (GB) | £9,124,390 | £8,836,834 | £173,819 | £9,010,653 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party (NI) | £11,611 | £11,611 | £0 | £11,611 |
| Co-operative Party | £106,508 | £106,508 | £0 | £106,508 |
| Democratic Unionist Party - D.U.P. | £104,697 | £0 | £104,697 | £104,697 |
| Green Party (GB) | £401,452 | £346,761 | £51,691 | £398,452 |
| Labour Party | £9,530,789 | £7,388,160 | £2,099,879 | £9,488,039 |
| Liberal Democrats | £2,876,503 | £2,481,039 | £377,619 | £2,858,658 |
| Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales | £79,638 | £50,000 | £29,638 | £79,638 |
| Reform UK | £25,000 | £25,000 | £0 | £25,000 |
| Scottish National Party (SNP) | £323,511 | £0 | £317,511 | £317,511 |
| SDLP (Social Democratic & Labour Party) | £51,480 | £0 | £51,480 | £51,480 |
| Sinn Féin | £131,412 | £37,048 | £94,364 | £131,412 |
| Social Democratic Party | £35,000 | £35,000 | £0 | £35,000 |
| The Reclaim Party | £200,000 | £200,000 | £0 | £200,000 |
| The Socialist Party of Great Britain | £35,000 | £35,000 | £0 | £35,000 |
| True & Fair Party | £34,070 | £34,070 | £0 | £34,070 |
| Ulster Unionist Party | £25,270 | £0 | £25,270 | £25,270 |
| Total | £23,157,735 | £19,623,531 | £3,350,872 | £22,974,403 |
From 1 January 2024, the threshold for reporting donations to the Commission increased. Following a change in law by the UK Government, parties are now required to report donations over £11,180 (and over £2,230 for accounting units).
The value of donations reported by a political party to the Commission may be different to the value of donations it actually accepted in that quarter. This can be due to aggregated donations, impermissible donations, and/or late reported donations. Five parties included donations in their quarterly report that should have been reported in previous quarters. The Commission will consider these matters in line with its Enforcement Policy, if appropriate. Any sanctions applied will be published at a later date.
Borrowing
Parties reported entering into £156,432.51 of new loans in the first quarter of 2024. Loans with a value of £127,500 were fully paid off.
Further information
Full details of donations and loans reported in Q1 2024 are available on our political finance register.
Ends
For more information contact the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704, out of office hours 07789 920 414 or [email protected]
Notes to editors
- Political parties are required to submit quarterly donation and loan returns to the Electoral Commission. Within these returns, parties report:
o donations accepted above the £11,180 threshold (over £2,230 for accounting units)
o smaller donations from a single donor which exceed the reporting threshold when taken together
o impermissible donations they have received and the action taken in relation to these
o donations which ought to have been reported in previous quarters - As parties only report donations and loans over these thresholds, the figures do not include all donations and loans to political parties. Donations and loans under these thresholds are recorded in political parties’ annual accounts. Information on the political parties’ most recent statements of accounts is available on the Commission’s database.
- Public funds are donations from the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament and the Electoral Commission. ‘Short’ and ‘Cranborne’ grants are available to parties in opposition in the House of Commons or House of Lords respectively.
- There were 374 registered political parties in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during quarter one of 2024. 69 were required to submit a quarterly donation report and 50 to submit borrowing information within the deadline. The remaining political parties have previously submitted four consecutive nil returns. Providing they have not received donations in the last quarter, they are therefore exempt from submitting a report.
- 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:
o 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
o regulating political finance – taking proactive steps to increase transparency, ensure compliance and pursue breaches
o 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, Welsh and Scottish parliaments.