An attendee holds a copy of the Labour Party general election manifesto during its launch in Manchester, UK, on Thursday, 13 June 2024. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives have struggled to raise funds with opinion polls putting the party on track for an historic defeat on 4 July. They brought in less than a tenth of £3.3-million Labour received in the third week of campaigning, according to figures released by the Electoral Commission on Friday.
Of the £375,000 the governing party did receive in the week to 19 June, a substantial amount came from Tory legislators themselves: £18,000 from former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and £24,999.99 from Howard Leigh, a member of the House of Lords. A further £170,000 came from Conservative fundraisers and associations.
OVO Energy founder Stephen Fitzpatrick, who had donated to the Conservatives in 2019, gave £100,000 to the Liberal Democrats this time, bringing the weekly total raised by Ed Davey’s party to £193,945.
Four fifths of the £4-million received by parties in the third week of campaigning was pulled in by Labour, which continues to enjoy a lead in excess of 21 percentage points over the Tories in opinion polls. The opposition’s coffers were boosted by a £1.49-million donation from the trade union Unison.
Sculptor Antony Gormley gave Labour £500,000, as did investor Stuart Roden. Danny Luhde-Thompson gave £250,000. Other donations to Keir Starmer’s party included £25,000 each from battery manufacturer GivEnergy CEO Jason Howlett — the latest energy entrepreneur to back Labour — and concert promoter Simon Moran.
Right-wing populist party Reform received £99,000, including £20,000 from Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins, a former Tory donor who Bloomberg reported earlier this month was planning to back Nigel Farage’s party.
The figures are not an exhaustive total of sums received by the parties as only donations of more than £11,180 in value are reported.