Tories rake in almost five times more than Labour in recent donations

The Conservatives have raked in almost five times more in private donations in recent months than Labour, new figures show.

Electoral Commission data reveals that Labour received £3.1 million in donations, excluding public funds, in the third quarter of 2023, between July and September. Some £1.6 million is from private individuals.

The previous quarter had been the most successful quarter in Labour Party history, according to the party, and it has raised more than £10 million since the start of 2023.

The Tories received £15.4 million in the third quarter.

Labour also received £2.5 million in public funds however, while the Tories received £376,000. Parties also only have to report donations above £7,500.

Among the top donors for Labour were unions Unite, the GMB,  USDAW, Unison, and the CWU, and Gary Lubner, Derek Webb, David Blood and Anthony Watson.

Other organisations providing significant support via staff costs included Oliver Wyman, The Good Faith Partnership and Ernst & Young, as well as Zoominfo UK, which provided consultancy services.

Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party Chair, said: “Thanks to Keir Starmer’s leadership, the Labour Party is seeing significant financial growth throughout 2023.

“The Conservatives have raised the election spending limit from £19m to £34m, so we will continue to fundraise throughout 2024 to meet it.

“Donors are supporting Labour because they can see we are serious about delivering for working people with five missions to transform Britain. The Labour Party is a changed party that will end Tory decline and get Britain’s future back.”

Louise Edwards, Director of Regulation and Digital Transformation at the Electoral Commission,  said: “We know that voters are interested in where parties get their money from, and this publication is an important part of delivering transparency for voters.

“However, it’s clear that publishing this information is not enough. We’ve seen for some time that public confidence in the transparency of party and campaigner finance is declining. We continue to recommend to the UK Government that it introduces laws to help protect parties from those who seek to evade the law, and give voters more confidence in the process by requiring more checks on the identity of donors.”