The Conservatives have raised record sums in donations since this general election campaign began. But where does the party get its money from?
Recently an openDemocracy investigation suggested that an awful lot of the Tories’ funding comes from a few very, very rich individuals. Just one dining society, whose members are worth at least £45.7 billion, has donated over £130 million to the Conservatives this decade. They have raised between 58% and 67% of all Tory donations declared to the Electoral Commission this year.
In response to our findings, the Conservatives told us: “The Conservative Party is funded by membership, fundraising and donations, including over 600 local associations across the country and it is this small-scale, grassroots support which is the bedrock of the Party. The Electoral Commission figures exclude the significant sums we have received from small donations.”
