WIREDGOV

Political parties registered in the UK have reported accepting £12.95m donations and public funds during the first quarter of 2025 (January to March), according to figures published today by the Electoral Commission (Opens in new window). 

This compares to £22,974,403 in the same period in 2024, and £7,362,870 in the previous quarter (Q4 2024). 

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

“Over £12.95m in donations was accepted by political parties in the first quarter of 2025. The UK political finance regime has high levels of transparency, and we know that voters are interested in where parties get their money from. This publication is an important part of delivering this transparency for voters.

“However, there are parts of the system that need strengthening, and we have been calling for changes to the law in three key areas: limit company donations to the money that they have made in the UK; legally require parties to conduct know-your-donor checks on donations to assess and manage their risks; and ensure those who donate to unincorporated associations are permissible donors. 

“The UK Government is currently considering these recommendations as part of reforms to the political finance regime. Addressing the gaps would help to improve coverage of the donation controls and ensure voters can have confidence in the political finance system.” 

The political parties that reported donations in Q1 2025, including public funds, were:

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. 
Borrowing

Two parties reported entering into £35,836 of new loans in the first quarter of 2025. Loans with a value of £436,278 were fully paid off.  

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.
• 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 375 registered political parties in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during quarter four of 2024. 46 were required to submit a quarterly donation report and 34 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 exempt from submitting a report. 
• An unincorporated association is defined by law as any association of two or more persons which carries on business or other activities wholly or mainly in the United Kingdom and whose main office is there. Unincorporated associations only become regulated if they make political contributions, and must register with us if they make political contributions over £37,420 in a calendar year.  
• 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, Welsh and Scottish parliaments.