A new report has uncovered that almost £2 million in surplus funds from the 2024 general election have “essentially disappeared” from public view, sparking questions about the transparency of British political campaign finance.
The report, authored by an academic at the University of Antwerp and a Liberal Democrat peer, found that 170 candidates received a total of nearly £2 million more than they were legally allowed to spend locally during the election. However, the report notes that it is unclear where these surplus funds went after the campaign, and the identities of the donors who funded them are also difficult to ascertain, especially for unsuccessful candidates.
This lack of transparency raises concerns that political parties could use candidates as a “back door” for anonymous donors hoping to remain hidden from public scrutiny. As Mark Pack, the president of the Liberal Democrats and a peer, told The Guardian, “There is a lot of money flowing to candidates that essentially disappears from the readily accessible public record.”
The report’s authors have proposed three solutions to improve transparency around who is funding constituency campaigns and what happens to excess funds. These include having the Electoral Commission publish details of direct donations as part of its political finance database and proactively sharing data with the House of Commons authorities to ensure candidates who become MPs properly register their donations.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission acknowledged that the current political finance framework could be strengthened further and said the commission has recommended that its remit be extended to include candidates, which would simplify the regulatory process and improve transparency for voters.
With a new election bill expected from the government, there may be an opportunity to address the complicated rules on political financing and ensure greater accountability and transparency in the funding of constituency campaigns.
