The Electoral Commission has today published financial accounts for major political party income and expenditure in the year ending 31 December 2019. The biggest spenders, naturally, were the Labour Party, who managed to squeak to the end of the year in the black despite spending £57 million. The Tories, by contrast, spent just 54,908,000, although netted £13 in the bank which stood them in much better stead to weather the Coronavirus storm. Fiscal prudence begins at home…
Total income and expenditure was significantly higher than in 2017, the year of the previous election:
Total 2017: Income: £125,659,000 Expenditure: £124,700,000
Total 2019: Income: £185,837,000 Expenditure: £169,103,000
See which major parties ended the year in the black and which slipped into the red below…
Labour Party
Income: £57,295,000 Expenditure: £57,278,000 Net: £17,000
Conservative Party
Income: £67,995,000 Expenditure: £54,908,000 Net: £13,087,000
Liberal Democrats
Income: £24,617,940 Expenditure: £19,905,925 Net: £4,712,015
Brexit Party
Income: £17,290,036 Expenditure: £18,904,591 Net: -£1,614,555
Scottish National Party
Income: £5,290,815 Expenditure: £5,609,024 Net: -£318,209
Plaid Cymru
Income: £888,826 Expenditure: £1,023,492 Net: -£134,666
What is it about independence movements and poor financial control?