Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of political parties that would be able to raise and spend more than the present national limit on party expenditure in a general election, based on expenditure in general elections since 2000; and which parties that includes.

Election spending limits are fixed in absolute terms. This requires them to be updated by inflation from time to time. The underlying primary legislation passed by Parliament explicitly provides for this.

In 2020 government officials consulted with representatives of the Local Government Association, political groups, the Parliamentary Parties panel and other political parties on uprating spending limits at reserved polls. Naturally a range of views were received during these consultations, however, it is for these groups to make public their position on this matter, not the Government.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statements published on 3 December 2020 HCWS618; HLWS610 (attached) the Government intends to review both candidate and party spending limits, at reserved polls with a view to uprating them by inflation. We cannot, however, comment on any specific figures until the necessary review has concluded.