SNP raises £6 million in Westminster landslide year

The financial power of the SNP in Scotland has been set out in new figures which showed the party raised more than £6 million last year when it claimed a Westminster landslide - topping the combined efforts of its political opponents.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon led the SNP to a historic victory in the 2015 General Election. Picture: Jane Barlow

The SNP spent about £5.45 million of this in 2015 which also covered the early build-up to the Holyrood election at the start of May this year which Nicola Sturgeon also won by a landslide.

This compares with barely £2 million spent by the combined efforts of the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Greens in Scotland, according to the Financial accounts of political parties which was published yesterday by the election watchdog the Electoral Commission

The figures for the Conservative party in Scotland were not available, although the party did spend £41 million across the UK.

The SNP benefited from Lottery Winners Chris and Colin Weir who donated £500,000 each to the party in early 2015.

The Scottish Labour party splashed out £974,931 after raising £1.073 million, while the Liberal Democrats spent £727,000. The Greens spent £404,000.

A spokesman for the SNP said: “We are grateful to all supporters for contributing to the ongoing success of the SNP.”

Across the UK, the Labour Party enjoyed a record annual income of more than £51 million last year, according to the the Electoral Commission figures. The party’s accounts show it took in £51,153,000 nationally in 2015 - more than £11 million up on the previous high of £39.6 million in 2014 - and spent £46,789,000, a figure only topped in the election year of 2005.

Labour’s income and expenditure were well ahead of the £41,887,000 taken in and £41,030,000 spent by the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrats outspent their earnings during the general election year, with an income of £7,881,909 and expenditure of £9,557,030.

Ukip took in £5,816,166 and spent £6,667,442.

The figures also show that Labour owns assets worth £20.5 million and has liabilities of just below £14.5 million. Conservative assets totalling £7.4 million were outweighed by liabilities of almost £12 million.

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