Liberal Democrats: donations, loans and election spending
The Electoral Commission's register lists £2,306,355 in donations accepted by the Liberal Democrats in Q2 2026, from 345 donations. That is less than the £3,018,235 in Q1 2026 and more than the £1,683,881 a year earlier.
Over the five years from Q3 2021 to Q2 2026 the register lists £43.1 million in donations to the Liberal Democrats: 47.5% from individuals, 27.7% from public funds, 13.7% from companies.
The highest quarterly total for the party in the register, which runs from Q1 2001, is £13,583,841 in Q4 2019.
Donations the register lists as public funds make up £11.9 million of the five-year total.
The register lists 35 loans to the party still outstanding, with £1,237,307 outstanding.
The party's campaign spending return for the 2024 general election lists £5,623,336, against £14,426,931 in 2019. The largest category was unsolicited material to electors, at £3,454,797.
At the 2024 general election the House of Commons Library records 630 Liberal Democrat candidates, 3,519,143 votes (12.2% of the UK total) and 72 seats.
Parliament's Members API lists 71 MPs for the party on 15 October 2026.
The register also records 105 donations worth £347,347 that the party returned or that were forfeited; these are not counted in the totals above.
Donations by quarter
| Quarter | Donations | Value | Of which public funds | To the central party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 345 | £2,306,355 | £792,158 | £387,890 |
| Q1 2026 | 329 | £3,018,235 | £727,134 | £789,929 |
| Q4 2025 | 390 | £2,190,101 | £749,173 | £450,789 |
| Q3 2025 | 318 | £2,174,712 | £1,023,462 | £765,572 |
| Q2 2025 | 286 | £1,683,881 | £781,767 | £337,499 |
| Q1 2025 | 245 | £2,296,834 | £696,907 | £487,437 |
| Q4 2024 | 274 | £1,581,780 | £798,441 | £200,129 |
| Q3 2024 | 280 | £1,939,891 | £934,691 | £570,366 |
| Q2 2024 | 713 | £5,926,843 | £479,062 | £3,379,421 |
| Q1 2024 | 318 | £2,872,503 | £377,619 | £1,324,710 |
| Q4 2023 | 377 | £2,841,889 | £383,598 | £1,362,966 |
| Q3 2023 | 281 | £2,373,364 | £1,246,346 | £1,266,331 |
The last 12 quarters with registered donations. Every quarter since Q1 2001 (CSV). Returned and forfeited donations are left out.
Largest donors as registered, Q3 2021 to Q2 2026
| Donor (as registered) | Donor type | Total | Donations | Most recent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Of Commons Fees Office. | Public Fund | £7,837,697 | 61 | 26 June 2026 |
| Electoral Commission. | Public Fund | £1,977,031 | 7 | 1 August 2025 |
| House of Lords Fees Office. | Public Fund | £1,911,644 | 54 | 11 June 2026 |
| Mark E Petterson | Individual | £1,033,776 | 113 | 3 June 2026 |
| ADAM MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LTD | Company | £914,288 | 41 | 17 February 2026 |
| TREEMAN ROCKAFELLA LIMITED | Company | £700,000 | 4 | 12 January 2026 |
| THE JOSEPH ROWNTREE REFORM TRUST LIMITED | Company | £629,448 | 32 | 14 April 2026 |
| John Faulkner (dec'd) | Individual | £625,000 | 2 | 13 June 2024 |
| Ahmed AA Hindawi | Individual | £527,000 | 39 | 8 June 2026 |
| Stephen JR Dawson | Individual | £520,445 | 12 | 8 April 2026 |
Five-year totals; names and types as registered.
Loans
| Quarter reported | Loans | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 4 | £17,500 |
| Q1 2026 | 2 | £5,256 |
| Q4 2025 | 2 | £381,600 |
| Q3 2025 | 1 | £3,000 |
| Q2 2025 | 2 | £5,400 |
| Q1 2025 | 6 | £25,320 |
| Q4 2024 | 1 | £3,427 |
| Q3 2024 | 4 | £29,000 |
| Q2 2024 | 9 | £162,000 |
| Q1 2024 | 4 | £20,810 |
| Q4 2023 | 3 | £9,800 |
| Q3 2023 | 4 | £22,424 |
Campaign spending at general elections
| Election | Total | England | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | £5,623,336 | £5,087,317 | £416,099 | £119,920 |
| 12 December 2019 | £14,426,931 | £12,251,651 | £1,441,956 | £733,323 |
| 8 June 2017 | £6,788,316 | £5,698,204 | £703,059 | £387,053 |
| 7 May 2015 | £3,713,785 | £3,115,767 | £307,531 | £290,487 |
| 6 May 2010 | £4,787,593 | £3,987,035 | £470,618 | £329,940 |
| 5 May 2005 | £4,324,574 | £3,631,053 | £435,406 | £258,115 |
| 7 June 2001 | £1,361,377 | £1,079,776 | £178,146 | £103,455 |
Campaign spending returns as registered.
General election results
| Election | Standing as | Candidates | Votes | Vote share | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Liberal Democrat | 630 | 3,519,143 | 12.2% | 72 |
| 2019 | Liberal Democrat | 611 | 3,696,419 | 11.6% | 11 |
| 2017 | Liberal Democrat | 629 | 2,371,861 | 7.4% | 12 |
| 2015 | Liberal Democrat | 631 | 2,415,916 | 7.9% | 8 |
| 2010 | Liberal Democrat | 631 | 6,836,248 | 23.0% | 57 |
From the House of Commons Library.
The party's entry in the Electoral Commission's register · Search its registered donations · All parties
Sources
- Donations to political parties, all quarters (CSV export)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
5be42a091e8e6053… - Loans to political parties (CSV export)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
12c4057f897b47e8… - Campaign spending returns, UK Parliament general election 2019 (CSV export)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
6fdc408745de12a7… - Campaign spending returns, UK Parliament general election 2024 (CSV export)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
39a2e12101d6b9fe… - State of the parties in the House of Commons (Members API)
Read 15 October 2026 · SHA-256
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