The Liberal Democrats received nearly £3mn in donations in the first quarter of this year, including £250,000 from venture philanthropist Stephen Dawson and more than £200,000 from the owner of video games retailer CeX, Safwan Adam.
The Electoral Commission, the UK’s elections watchdog, said US businessman William Reeves, co-founder of British hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management, gave £40,000 to the Lib Dems and £50,000 to the Labour-affiliated think tank Labour Together.
In total, UK political parties raised £23mn in the first quarter of 2024, up from £15mn a year earlier. Spending on election campaigns is limited to £35mn per party.
