WIREDGOV

Political parties registered in the UK have reported accepting £24,438,482 in donations and public funds during the second quarter of 2023, according to figures published today by the Electoral Commission.

This compares to £12,761,435 accepted in the same period in 2022 (April to June).

Louise Edwards, the Electoral Commission’s Director of Regulation and Digital Transformation, said: 

“We know that voters are interested in where political parties get their money from, and this publication is an important part of delivering this transparency for voters. 

“However, we’ve seen for some time that public confidence in the transparency of party and campaigner finance is declining. We continue to recommend to the UK Government that it introduces laws to help protect parties from those who seek to evade the law and give voters more confidence in the process.” 

Political parties are required to submit quarterly donation and loan returns to the Electoral Commission. Within these returns, parties report:

• donations accepted above the £7,500 threshold (over £1,500 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

Click here for the full press release