Labour spent less than half as much as Tories on election

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Figures released by the electoral commission show that Labour spent less than half as much as the Tories on the 2010 general election. Spending by the party was also less than half of that spent on the 2005 election. In total political parties across the UK spent £31 million on the 2010 election, with Labour spending £8 million, compared to a spend of nearly £17 million from the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats spent just over £4 million. As the chart below shows, the gap was especially significant in spending on advertising:

Labour’s spend slumped by nearly ten million from 2005 (£18 million down to £8million) reflecting the relative financial weaknessss of the party, whilst Tory spending was at similar levels to 2005:

These figures show the poor financial state that the party is now in, with major donations on the wane and a significant debt. Building the financial strength of the Labour Party will be a major task for Ed Miliband in the coming months if Labour is to compete on a level playing field in 2015.