WIREDGOV

Political parties registered in the UK have reported accepting over £51 million in donations and public funds during 2022, according to figures published today by the Electoral Commission.

Parties and campaigners reported accepting a total of £51,594,424 in 2022, compared to £51,290,954 in 2021, with £14,779,158 of the 2022 total accepted in the final quarter of the year (October to December). 

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

“We know that voters are interested in the source and recipients of political donations, but that public confidence in the transparency of party and campaigner finance is declining. We publish this information so that voters understand where the money is coming from. This is intended to give voters confidence in the system. 

“However, just having information about who donors are and how much they’re donating is not enough to build confidence that the system is truly transparent. We have recommended reforms to UK government, which would help strengthen the political finance system further.”

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.

Parties can also report donations which should have been reported in previous quarters.

The political parties to report donations in quarter four of 2022, including public funds, were:

Parties will likely have received other donations, from different individuals or bodies, that are below the thresholds for reporting to the Commission. Taken as a total sum these can amount to substantial sources of income for parties.

Five parties failed to meet the reporting deadline for this quarter. The Commission will consider each of these matters, as well as donations reported late, in line with its Enforcement Policy, if appropriate. Any sanctions applied will be published at a later date.

Borrowing

There were £2,028,800 of new loans reported in the fourth quarter of 2022. Loans with a value of £620,017 were fully paid off.

Donations accepted by regulated donees in Q4 2022

The Commission also publishes details of donations accepted by regulated donees. Regulated donees are members of registered political parties, holders of relevant elective office and members associations.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, £736,637 in donations were accepted by 89 donees. The total includes cash and non-cash donations, as well as donations towards overseas visits. Full details of cash and non-cash donations (Opens in new window) are available on our website.

A summary of donations reported by parties, including the highest donors and details of late reports, is available on the Commission’s website.

Full details of donations and loans reported in Q4 2022 are available on our political finance register (Opens in new window).