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Party Political Funding: Paying the Politicians at Poll Time
How much can parties spend at election time?
In their rush to get into Parliament, some political parties cut corners in declaring their funding. © Photolibrary Group
In the 2001 General Election, 80 political parties took part and they each submitted an account to the Electoral Commission of how much they spent and on what activities. The Commission then reported back to the political parties to guide them in future on complying with the regulations.
Funding a Campaign
PPERA sets limits on what can be spent on getting elected. What does this actually involve?
A ceiling is set on the total that can be spent on an election campaign. This limit differs according to the type of election taking place. If a party breaks the spending limit it can be fined. Serious breaches of the Act are punishable by a maximum twelve-month prison sentence for party officers. The limits set by the Act are as follows:
| Type of Election | Spending per constituency contested |
| General Election to UK Parliament | £30 000 |
| Election to Northern Ireland Assembly | £17 000 |
| Election to European Parliament | £12 000 |
| Election to Scottish Parliament | £12 000 |
| Election to National Assembly for Wales | £10 000 |
So, how much money does this equate to? There are 659 constituencies in the UK, so the total expenditure of a political party that contests all available seats in the UK is a maximum of £19.77 million.
In the previous general election campaign, the major political parties incurred the following expenditures:
| Name of Party | Spending on Advertising | Total Campaign Spend |
| Conservatives | £4.41 million | £12.75 million |
| Labour | £5.02 million | £10.95 million |
| Liberal Democrats | £0.20 million | £1.36 million |