Political parties accept almost £65m in donations in 2025

5 Mar 2026 02:14 PM

Political parties registered in the UK have reported accepting £15,450,561 in donations and public funds during the fourth quarter of 2025 (October to December), according to figures published today by the Electoral Commission 

This compares to £7,462,837 in the same period in 2024, and £24,347,494 in the previous quarter (Q3 2025). 

£64,838,824 was accepted in the year 2025 (Opens in new window).

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

“Almost £65m in donations was accepted by political parties during 2025. The UK political finance system 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 information for voters.

“However, we know there are parts of the system that need strengthening, and we have been calling for changes to the law for some time. The UK government’s proposed reforms to the political finance regime in the Representation of the People Bill could strengthen donation controls and help ensure voters can have confidence in the political finance system.  We will continue to work with the government so that any changes are evidence based and workable in practice.” 

The political parties that reported donations in Q4 2025, including public funds, were: 

The value of donations reported by a political party may differ to the value of donations it actually accepted in that quarter. This can happen when parties report aggregated donations, return impermissible donations, or report donations late.

Borrowing

No new loans were entered into during the fourth quarter of 2025. Three parties reported fully paying off a total of £58,656 in outstanding loans

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 408 registered political parties in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during quarter four of 2025. 66 were required to submit a quarterly donation report, and 51 were required to submit borrowing information by 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 £37,270 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.