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?