The Conservative party has been fined £10,750 by the Electoral Commission for failing to accurately report non-cash donations worth more than £200,000. The donations in question were related to an employee who had been seconded to the party by a donor. The commission found that the party under-reported these non-cash donations between April 2020 to December 2023, with the discrepancy amounting to over £200,000 when the seconded employee transitioned from part-time to full-time work at the party.
Additionally, the party was found to have reported a single non-cash donation late, which also related to the same seconded employee in December 2023. Louise Edwards, director of regulation and digital transformation at the commission, emphasized the importance of transparency in how parties are funded and the need for accurate reporting of donations to increase public confidence in the system.
In response to the fine, the Conservative party stated that they are committed to complying with electoral law and will take steps to ensure accurate reporting in the future. The party’s failure to accurately report these non-cash donations highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in political financing.