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Ten political parties registered in Great Britain reported accepting just under £6 million in donations between 1 July and 30 September 2015, according to new figures published by the Electoral Commission, the independent party funding watchdog.

The six political parties to report the most in donations were:

• Conservative Party - £3,373,105
• Labour Party - £1,614,438
• Liberal Democrats - £531,525
• Co-operative Party £338,278
• UK Independence Party (UKIP) - £49,334
• Scottish National Party (SNP) - £35,000

In addition to these donations, during the third quarter of 2015, five parties accepted just over £3.3 million from public funds.

The value of outstanding loans to political parties as at 30 September 2015 stood at £4,587,686.This is a decrease of just over £2 million compared to the second quarter of 2015 where the value of loans stood at £6,668,324.

There were 23 political parties that did not meet the deadline for reporting. The Commission will consider each of these matters in line with its enforcement policy, which is available to view here. 

A summary of donations reported in the third quarter of 2015, including the top donors, is available here.

Full details of donations and loans are available on our registers here.

Full analysis and breakdown of the figures for quarter three 2015 is available here.

For further information please contact Umar Hanif in the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704 or email uhanif@electoralcommission.org.uk. For out of hours queries, please call 07789 920 414. 

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 and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000) (PPERA).
2. PPERA requires registered parties to report donations and borrowing on a quarterly basis to the Electoral Commission. Political parties must report all donations and borrowing over £7,500 to the central party, or over £1,500 to an accounting unit, to the Electoral Commission. This includes aggregates of donations and loans from the same source. 
3. As the 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 Statement of Accounts. To view these accounts, visit our register. 
4. 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. 
5. Some donations appear on the register as being from the Electoral Commission. These are Policy Development Grants, which were established by PPERA 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.
6. There were 437 registered political parties in Great Britain during the quarter.135 were required to submit their quarterly donation returns and 122 to submit borrowing information within the deadline. The remaining political parties were exempt because they have previously submitted four consecutive nil returns. 
7. The figures reported for quarterly donations and borrowing has been rounded. Exact figures are available on our website