Celebration memberships fell in 2023 regardless of looming election

Membership of the primary political events continued to fall final 12 months regardless of Westminster gearing up for a normal election, in line with newly revealed accounts.

Labour misplaced 37,000 extra members throughout 2023, leaving its whole membership at 370,450 on the finish of the 12 months.

Though it nonetheless has essentially the most members of any UK social gathering, the determine is considerably down from a peak of 532,046 on the finish of 2019.

The Liberal Democrats noticed their membership fall by round 11,000 to 86,599, although the social gathering mentioned it had seen an increase in new members since its features in July’s normal election.

The Conservatives don’t publish membership figures, however their revenue from membership charges fell from £1.97m to £1.5m.

Nonetheless, the Inexperienced Celebration noticed its membership stay steady at round 53,000.

Reform UK mentioned its membership had grown “considerably”, though it didn’t publish figures.

A spokesperson for left-wing Labour marketing campaign group Momentum blamed the autumn in social gathering membership on “the deliberate selections of the Labour Celebration management to reject the transformative, fashionable insurance policies essential to rebuild Britain”.

“As well as, the management has repeatedly attacked pluralism and the rights of social gathering members with the intention to weaken the left and threaten independent-minded voices inside the Celebration,” the spokesperson mentioned.

“This will look like good politics in the meanwhile however within the long-run Labour wants an lively, engaged, mass membership to retain its political relevance.”

A Labour Celebration spokesperson mentioned it had gained 1000’s of recent members for the reason that normal election.

“With Keir Starmer’s management the Labour Celebration has modified, returning politics to public service and a laser give attention to rebuilding our nation,” the spokesperson mentioned.

“Our historic normal election win was solely potential due to this and the onerous work and enthusiasm of our social gathering members who shared Labour’s constructive message throughout the nation within the marketing campaign.”

Regardless of Labour’s membership dropping in 2023 and a rise in spending in preparation for a normal election, the social gathering ended the 12 months with a smaller deficit than it anticipated.

It reported a shortfall of £851,000 in contrast with an anticipated £2.5m, with social gathering treasurer David Evans saying this was due to a rise in high-value donations and attendance at its annual convention.

The Lib Dems ended 2023 with a surplus of £271,258, following a major enhance in donations and revenue from its social gathering convention.

The Conservatives additionally recorded a surplus of £17.9m, helped by a £10m bequest within the will of grocery store tycoon Lord John Sainsbury.

The social gathering had its most profitable fundraising quarter in a non-election 12 months in the beginning of 2023, in line with its annual report.

Nonetheless, through the election marketing campaign earlier this 12 months, the Tories trailed Labour significantly in donations.

In a turbulent 12 months for the Scottish Nationwide Celebration, which noticed the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon as chief and an ongoing police investigation into the party’s finances, its membership fell by around 18,000 to 64,525.

SNP membership has nearly halved from a peak of 125,691 in 2019, after it noticed a surge in assist within the wake of the 2014 independence referendum.

Celebration treasurer Stuart Campbell McDonald famous that members have been going through cost-of-living pressures and mentioned the SNP was in search of to pre-empt cancellations by providing choices to scale back or skip funds.

An SNP spokesperson mentioned it remained “the most important political social gathering by far in Scotland – with a membership larger than all different events mixed”.