The SNP reported no donations between July and September this year, figures published by the Electoral Commission have revealed.
Among the 20 political parties required to declare contributions, six of them received a total of zero reportable donations – with half of them Scottish.
Fomer first minister Alex Salmond’s Alba Party and the Scottish Greens both reported no donations between July and September.
Cash to Scottish Labour, the Scottish Conservatives and the Scottish Liberal Democrats was counted by the Electoral Commission among their UK party totals.
Getty ImagesPolitical parties across the UK reported accepting £25,411,733 in donations and public funds during the third quarter of 2023 – up from £11,700,902 in the same period last year.
The SNP recorded £436,425 in public funds while Alba and the Scottish Greens recorded £108,914 and £8,263 respectively.
The party that received the most donations in the UK was by far the Conservatives which recorded more than £15,000,000.
The next biggest party was Labour which raised more than £3m. The LibDems took in more than £1m from July to September.
The SNP is currently being investigated by Police Scotland over its finances and funding.
That probe, called Operation Branchform, led to the arrests of Nicola Sturgeon, her husband and former party chief executive Peter Murrell and the ex-treasurer Colin Beattie. All were later released without charge.
In August, the SNP’s official accounts revealed it was in a deficit of more than £800,000 after recording a fall in income from membership and donations.
The party had spent more than £5m in 2022 but only managed to raise £4.2m.
It’s the SNP’s second-largest-ever deficit and the biggest it has recorded in a non-parliamentary election year.
A SNP spokesperson said: “The SNP is proud to be funded by our ordinary members, who continue to suffer under this crippling Westminster-made cost of living crisis.
“We’ll always be appreciative of that broad-based support as we gear up for the next General Election, where people across Scotland can vote SNP to escape the damage of Westminster control for good.
“Meanwhile, the corrupt Conservatives – who wasted billions of pounds of public money through its scandalous Covid VIP lane – rely on their millionaire cronies to protect their vested interests.
“And Labour is wholly reliant on trade unions – while betraying the members of these unions by refusing to commit to reversing the draconian anti-trade union laws brought in by the Tories.”
A spokesperson for the Socttish Greens said: “Unlike other parties who are only too happy to take dirty money from polluters and millionaires, we are proud to be funded by thousands of members across the country who chip in what they can.
“We are grateful to all of our supporters and for the work they are doing for people and planet.”
An Alba Party spokesperson: “Alba Party relies on the support of our growing membership to continue to campaign for Scottish independence.
“In the period mentioned Alba Party received thousands of donations from our members and supporters.
“We are very grateful for all of the support they continue to provide us so that we can campaign for Scotland’s independence as an immediate priority.”
The Electoral Commission said parties are required to report donations above £7,500 (or £1,500 for accounting units) as well as smaller donations from a single donor which exceed the reporting threshold when taken together.
The Scottish Greens were approached for comment.
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