£20 million — that’s how much money was donated to the political parties in the last quarter of 2014. The Electoral Commission has released their latest report on political donations and unsurprisingly given the election campaign, more money is being thrown about. Over £5 million more was donated in Q4 last year compared to Q3. Above you can see the top ten donors to all parties during that period. Here are five things you need to know about the report.
1. Labour is still bankrolled by the unions…and PWC
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Labour’s reliance on donations from the big trade unions continues. Unison, Unite and GMB all donated over £1 million to Labour while USDAW put £417k into their coffers. Naturally, this has given the Tories an opportunity to hit out at Labour’s reliance on unions. Chairman Grant Shapps said in a statement:
‘Ed Miliband is utterly reliant on the trade unions to bail out his failing leadership, writing seven figure cheques in exchange for writing the manifesto. Trade union bosses like Len McCluskey fund the party, pick the candidates, choose the leader and buy the policies.’
More controversially, PricewaterhouseCoopers was Labour’s fifth biggest donor in Q4, donating nearly £400k to the party. That’s the same PricewaterhouseCoopers who were accused by the Public Accounts Committee — chaired by Labour’s Margaret Hodge — of ‘industrial scale’ tax avoidance. Hodge has said in the past it was ‘inappropriate’ of the firm to second an employee to work with Labour. So, will Labour keep the PWC donation?
2. Conservatives remain the wealthiest party
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While Labour have their big union donors, the Tories have their big business donors. Last quarter, the party received £8.4 million in donations, £1 million more than Labour. Seven of the their top ten donors are individuals giving several hundred thousand to the party. Lycamobile donated a quarter of a million, as did the Conservative Draws Society.
3. Lib Dems have set a new party record
The Lib Dems brought in just over £3 million the last quarter, far less than the two main parties. Their single biggest donation came from one Max Batley, a lump of £400,000. But combined with the rest of 2014, the Lib Dems hit a new high for donations: over £5 million, £1.5 million more than in 2013.
4. Ukip’s money came mostly from two donors
Ukip brought in just over a £1 million last quarter, most of which came from two donors: ex-Tory donor Aaron Banks and Daily Express owner Richard Desmond. As Steerpike reported earlier, £55k also came from nightclub owner Robin Birley. Ukip also took new loans in the last quarter worth £34,000, more than any other party.
5. Greens have no money
Despite its surge in the polls, the Green Party has relatively little money. According to the Electoral Commission, just under a quarter of million pounds was donated to the Greens. The Lib Dems, who continue to vie with them in the polls, brought in 12 times more.
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