Tory Party accepted £52m in donations last year out of total of £113m

According to latest figures released by the electioral commission today, political parties  accepted a record amount of donations and loans during 2019.

Last year, Tory Party accepted  £52,645, 437, Labour £24, 751, 364, the Liberal Democrats £19, 815, 705 and the Brexit Party £11, 587, 851.

The Green party reported £381, 393 in large donations  and Plaid Cymru reporting £70, 0090 and the SNP £54, 169.

The £13.3m reorded by Lib Dems during the period was largely thanks to £8m donation from businessman Lord Sainsbury.

The gift from the supermarket tycoon and former Labour minister is the largest single donation ever recorded by Electoral Commission since it was set up in 2001.

Only donations larger than £7, 500 are included in the official figures. The commission said £113m total donated to parties in Great Britain last year .

Parties in Northern Ireland raised £3.3m in donations last year during the 1 October to 31 December period.

This amounts to almost £40million more  than in 2017, the year with the previous largest value of donations and also a record fourth quarter last year which covered the December General election, with 14 political parties  reporting £70, 113, 414 in donations and public funds.

In the last quarter Toriues accepted more than £37m compared to Liberal Democrats £13m and Labour’s £10m.

Louise Edwards,  The EC’s director of regulation, the independent body that oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK, said  “the value of donations accepted in the last quarter exceeded  the previous high by almost £28million.”