Report finds £2m of surplus UK general election funds ‘essentially disappeared’
Almost £2m given to candidates in the 2024 general election has “essentially disappeared” from the public’s view of British political campaign finance, a report claims.It notes that 170 candidates received in total almost £2m more than they were legally allowed to spend locally during the election, raising questions about where the surplus funds went after the campaign.The donors who funded them are also tricky to identify, especially if the candidate was unsuccessful.The effect is a lack of transparency around who is funding constituency campaigns and what subsequently happens to excess funds.If a candidate received more money than they could spend, they might transfer the surplus to the central party.
As a result, parties could use candidates as a “back door” for money from donors hoping to remain anonymous, the report says.The report’s authors, an academic at the University of Antwerp and a Liberal Democrat peer, have recommended three solutions to make it easier for the public to see who is funding candidates.“There is a lot of money flowing to candidates that essentially disappears from the readily accessible public record,” Mark Pack, the president of the Lib Dems and a peer, told the Guardian.Details of donations to central parties and local associations are routinely reported by the Electoral Commission, with extra disclosures made during elections.But contributions given to candidates, and how much they spent, are not available for public inspection from council returning officers until more than a month after polling day.
The Electoral Commission publishes headline figures per candidate on donations and expenditure, without the details of who funded their campaigns, months after the election.The report’s authors, Chris Butler and Pack, sought a sample of the spending returns submitted by the candidates from the Electoral Commission.The watchdog provided them, but removed the identity of the donors.This results in an “illogical” situation in which donors who give directly to a party, subject to a minimum reporting threshold, appear in the Electoral Commission’s database, while donors to individual candidates are obscured.Pack said he thought this was “hard to justify” on the watchdog’s cited grounds of data protection.
“The point of there being a place to say who your donors are in the form is so that people can look it up and check,” he said.Pack believes there are reasonable grounds for the Electoral Commission to revise its position.The government is expected to bring a new elections bill, which could be an opportunity to change the complicated rules on political financing.As for the almost £2m surplus funds from the last election, “we don’t know what is happening to that money”, Pack said.He suggested that some may have been given to the central parties, which could use it against their national spending limit while benefiting the candidate’s local efforts, such as with target letters to voters in that constituency.
“There is not a clear ‘what did you do with your surplus’ box on the expense forms,” he said,Butler and Pack also propose the Electoral Commission publish the details of the direct donations as part of its political finance database, and proactively share their data with the House of Commons authorities to ensure candidates who become MPs are properly registering donations,A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: “While the Electoral Commission publishes information on candidate spending to aide transparency, we do not have the legal authority to publish donors’ personal data from candidate returns,“We recognise that the current political finance framework could be strengthened further, and have recommended that our remit be extended to include candidates, which would simplify the regulatory process for candidates and improve transparency for voters,”
Four leading British basketball clubs blocked from Europe as civil war deepens
The civil war engulfing British Basketball has intensified with the British Basketball Federation attempting to block four of the country’s leading clubs from competing in Europe next season.The Guardian has learned that the BBF is refusing to endorse applications for European places made by Manchester Basketball, London Lions, Newcastle Eagles and Bristol Flyers, which has put their participation at risk.In another development, it is being claimed that the BBF is threatening to thwart visa applications for overseas players for next season made by a number of Super League Basketball clubs.The BBF and clubs are at loggerheads after the governing body last month awarded a 15-year licence to operate a new Great Britain Basketball League from the 2026-27 season to an American consortium led by the former NBA executive Marshall Glickman. The nine existing SLB clubs are refusing to join, and have had their interim licence to run their own league next season suspended by the BBF
Munster’s monster hits shows why Queensland captain’s time has come
Moderation is often cited as the secret to a long and fulfilling life. Semi-regular exercise. The odd glass of red wine. Precious time with family and friends. And no more than a sprinkling of Cameron Munster
‘It’s going to be pretty monumental’: Harry Potter eyes Wallabies spot for Lions series | Jack Snape
No, Harry Potter – the Australian rugby union winger – hasn’t read the books. And the 27-year-old is unlikely to get to them anytime soon, given his focus on securing a precious place in the Wallabies’ team for the coming tour of the British and Irish Lions.“It’s a massive, once-in-every-12-years event,” he says in the days before the first Wallabies squad of the year is named on Thursday. “It’s going to be pretty monumental.”The Western Force player has perhaps the best name in Australian sport
State of Origin 2025 Game 2: Qld Maroons beat NSW Blues 26-24 – as it happened
All eyes now turn to Sydney and the Game 3 decider on Wednesday 9th of July. I will be back there to see who lifts the State of Origin shield. Until then, I’ll leave you with Jack Snape’s match report from tonight’s chaotic classic. Catch you soon.A quick look at social media and it appears NSW fans have some polite concerns with the refereeing of Ashley Klein
Queensland stay alive after holding off stirring NSW comeback in State of Origin classic
They had been all but written off, rudderless and adrift with a rattled coach at the helm, but a spirited Queensland kept the State of Origin shield alive after a wet, wild and often bizarre Game 2 victory over New South Wales in Perth.The memorable 26-24 triumph wasn’t certain until the final moments after a titanic Blues comeback – highlighted by a Brian To’o hat-trick – brought them back to within two points with eight minutes to go.Yet the Maroons’ heroic defence in the dying stages was capped off by new Maroons captain Cameron Munster and recalled backrower Kurt Capewell, having faced repeat sets, who forced an error from Blues prop Payne Haas with another gritty tackle.The Blues’ final set ended in an error from fullback Dylan Edwards, securing one of the great Origin victories and triggering a mix of relief and celebration for the weary Queenslanders.The Maroons had scored four tries to five for the Blues
Florida is now the Stanley Cup’s semi-permanent home. What does that mean for Canada?
“There are a lot of things I do not understand about this proposed expansion,” New York Times sports columnist George Vecsey wrote in December 1992, as the NHL wrapped up its annual Board of Governors meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. During that week’s meeting, the league received expansion proposals for two teams. One was for a team in Anaheim, California, backed by Disney. The other was for a team in Miami, Florida, put forward by waste management-and-VHS-video magnate, Wayne Huizenga. “What makes it think the Sun Belt is ready for all these hockey teams?” Vecsey wondered
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