Friday 13 Sep 2024 @ 10:25
Electoral Commission
Printable version

Political parties accept £55.5m in donations in second quarter of 2024

Political parties registered in the UK have reported accepting £55,541,055 in donations and public funds during the second quarter of 2024 (April to June), according to figures published by the Electoral Commission. 

This compares to £24,709,994 in the same period in 2023. 

Jackie Killeen, Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation, said: 

“Over £55 million in donations were accepted by political parties in three months, more than double the amount for the same period last year and one of the highest quarters on record. 

“This also represents an increase on the previous quarter, however it’s not surprising to see a significant spike in donations in the lead up to a general election. 

“As the political finance regulator, we are in the process of completing compliance checks on the millions of pounds received by parties. If we find any evidence of breaches, we will consider them in line with our Enforcement Policy.”

The political parties that reported donations in Q2 2024, including public funds, were: 

Party Total reported Donations accepted (excl. public funds) Public funds accepted Total accepted in this quarter
Alba Party  £36,305 £0  £36,305 £36,305
Alliance - Alliance Party of Northern Ireland £55,829 £21,500  £24,329 £45,829
Conservative and Unionist Party (GB) £16,356,594 £16,057,873 £81,516 £16,139,389
Conservative and Unionist Party (NI) £23,442 £23,442 £0 £23,442
Co-operative Party £611,543 £611,543 £0 £611,543
Democratic Unionist Party - D.U.P.  £130,410 £0 £130,410 £130,410
Green Party (GB) £296,706 £238,851 £53,755 £292,606
Labour Party £28,775,364 £26,090,493 £2,453,307 £28,543,800
Liberal Democrats £5,944,993 £5,287,342 £479,062 £5,766,405
Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales £98,564 £34,000 £64,564 £98,564
Propel  £26,930 £26,930 £0 £26,930
Reform UK £2,638,360 £2,582,360 £0 £2,582,360
Scottish Green Party £12,294 £0 £6,199 £6,199
Scottish National Party (SNP) £630,993 £259,481 £366,512 £625,993
SDLP (Social Democratic & Labour Party) £123,035 £7,500 £108,035 £115,535
Sinn Féin £82,554 £0 £82,554 £82,554
Social Democratic Party £25,000 £25,000 £0 £25,000
The Reclaim Party £150,000 £150,000 £0 £150,000
The Socialist Party of Great Britain £12,500     £12,500 £0 £12,500
Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) £63,534 £50,000 £6,767 £56,767
True & Fair Party £35,000 £35,000 £0 £35,000
UK Independence Party (UKIP) (GB) £99,000 £99,000 £0 £99,000
Ulster Unionist Party £22,924 £0 £22,924 £22,924
Workers Party of Britain £12,000 £12,000 £0 £12,000
Total £56,263,874 £51,624,815 £3,916,239     £55,541,055

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 £239,039 of new loans in the second quarter of 2024. Loans with a value of £2,028,948 were fully paid off.  

Further information

Full details of donations and loans reported in Q2 2024 are available on our political finance register (Opens in new window). Pre-poll donations published before the general election covered donations received by parties from 30 May to 4 July.

For more information contact the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704, out of office hours 07789 920 414 or press@electoralcommission.org.uk 

Notes to editors

  • Political parties are required to submit quarterly donation and loan returns to the Electoral Commission. Within these returns, parties report:
    • donations accepted above the £11,180 threshold (over £2,230 for accounting units)
    • smaller donations from a single donor which exceed the reporting threshold when taken together
    • impermissible donations they have received and the action taken in relation to these
    • 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 (Opens in new window).
  • 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 350 registered political parties in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during quarter two of 2024. 57 were required to submit a quarterly donation report and 45 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:
  • 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

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