A recent report, commissioned by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, found that nearly 15% of spending by political parties during the 2019 UK general election campaign is unaccounted for.
The report, undertaken by researchers at the University of Sheffield, showed that this 15% (or £6.6 million) was evident in unclear invoices which came as the result of ‘lax reporting’.
Dr Kate Dommett and Dr Andrew Barclay, both members of the UoS’ Department of Politics and International Relations, analysed every invoice submitted to the Electoral Commission in 2019.
Political parties are legally required to submit all finances during a campaign when they spend upwards of £200.
In the UK, there is a £740 plus 6p per local government elector spending limit imposed on candidates at elections, the source of this funding is also controlled. After an election, each candidate is required to submit a ‘Candidate spending return form’ available on the GOV UK website.
The reports four key findings led the researchers to conclude that serious reforms are needed, with Dr Kate Dommett commenting that: “The UK is often heralded for its best practice around electoral transparency, but our analysis has revealed significant holes in existing transparency requirements. It’s currently possible for parties to provide little meaningful information, or to be deliberately elusive about what is disclosed, suggesting an urgent need to reform existing processes.”
The four key findings showed that more than 1 in every £10 was unaccounted for during the 2019 general election, as well as projecting the increase in spending on online advertising and campaign materials – all of which came to show that ‘current expenditure categories are not fit for purpose’.
Dr Sam Power, a lecturer in Corruption Analysis at Sussex University, and co-writer of the report, added: “That we cannot be certain how at least £6.6 million was spent at the 2019 general election is genuinely shocking. The Conservatives have shown a considerable interest in reforming electoral law, and the Electoral Commission, during their time in office. There are sensible reforms here which can be actioned with relative ease and should be considered as a matter of course before the next election.”
The government and the major political parties have not yet offered any comment on the paper’s findings.
The full report can be found at: https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/regulating-business-election-campaigns
