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The financial accounts of political parties and accounting units with income or expenditure over £250,000 have been published today by the Electoral Commission. 

The accounts of seventeen political parties and ten accounting units in the United Kingdom have been published for the year ending 31 December 2023.

Jackie Killeen, Director of Electoral Administration and 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

Seventeen parties in the UK reported having an income or expenditure of more than £250,000. 

In total, these seventeen parties reported £143,135,400 of income and £125,141,609 of expenditure. This compares with 19 parties that reported income or expenditure of over £250,000 in 2022, reporting totals of £100,411,598 of income and £102,112,711 of expenditure.

 
In addition to the parties listed above, in July the Commission published the accounts of 323 political parties that reported an income and expenditure of £250,000 or less.

Political parties’ financial accounts (Opens in new window) 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 £10,191,656 income and £9,646,377 expenditure.

The ten accounting units that reported income or expenditure above £250,000:

 
The financial accounts of all accounting units (Opens in new window) are available on the Commission’s website. 

Deadline extensions

Britian First, Labour Party, Reform UK, Scottish Green Party and Sinn Féin applied for extensions to allow time to deliver their accounts. Reform UK, Scottish Green Party and Sinn Féin delivered their accounts by the newly agreed deadline.

Incomplete and late submissions

Britian First had failed to submit its statement of accounts and accompanying auditor’s report at time of publication.

The Co-operative Party and the Labour Party were late in submitting their accounts.

One accounting unit confirmed as being over the £250k threshold failed to submit by the deadline. This is Conservative and Unionist Party (GB) Cities of London & Westminster.

Where parties and accounting units deliver incomplete or late accounts, we may take appropriate and proportionate action in line with our Enforcement Policy.  

For further information please contact the press office on 020 7271 0704 or email press@electoralcommission.org.uk. For outside office hours call 07789 920414.

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 (Opens in new window) for exact amounts.
4. Accounting units with income and expenditure that are £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. (Opens in new window