Tories raise less than £300k in second week of election campaign, as over three-quarters of all donations go to Labour

21 June 2024, 17:02

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Picture: Alamy

By Kit Heren

The Conservatives raised less than £300,000 in the second week of the General Election campaign, with more than three-quarters of donations over the same period going to Labour.

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Sir Keir Starmer's party raised nearly £4.4 million between June 6 and 12, a figure that included a £2.5 million donation from Lord David Sainsbury.

By contrast the Conservatives brought in just £292,500 over the same week, bringing their total for the first two weeks of the campaign to £889,000.

Donations are important because the money often allows political parties to campaign more effectively, and improve their chances of gaining more seats at the election.

The Tories raised £8.7 million over the first two weeks of the 2019 General Election campaign, which they ended up winning heavily.

Read more: 'Don't let Labour waltz into office', Sunak tells voters as Brits may not 'ever' be able to get them out of power

Read more: Keir Starmer comes out on top after LBC phone-ins – as Rishi Sunak seen as ‘overwhelmingly negative’

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer. Picture: Alamy

The low amount of money flowing into the Conservatives' coffers may be seen as another sign of a stuttering campaign.

It comes after a week in which a series of polls predicted that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was on course for a record defeat and his campaign was overshadowed by allegations about gambling.

The Conservatives' top donations between June 6 and June 12 were £50,000 each from Bestway Wholesale, ultimately owned by Tory peer Lord Zameer Choudrey, and an organisation called "The Spring Lunch".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Picture: Alamy

Other than Lord Sainsbury, other significant Labour donors in the second week of the campaign included Autoglass chief Gary Lubner, who gave £900,000, and hedge fund manager Martin Taylor, who gave £700,000.

Trade union Aslef provided £100,000 to the party, as did former Cable and Wireless executive Nick Razey.

Labour's total donations for the first two weeks of the campaign amounted to £5.3 million.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK raised £742,000 in the second week of the campaign, largely thanks to a £500,000 donation from Britain Means Business Ltd, a company controlled by party chairman Richard Tice.

The party also received £50,000 from former pop star and Neighbours actor Holly Valance.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Picture: Alamy

Reform raised £882,000 in major donations during the first two weeks of the campaign - only just below the figure received by the Conservatives.

The Liberal Democrats received £335,000 in the second week of the campaign, taking their total for the election to £789,999 in donations.

This included another £150,000 from businessman Safwan Adam and a £100,000 bequest from John Faulkner, a long-standing party member who left the party £1 million in his will in 2023.