SNP faces £1m Westminster funding cut

The Scottish National Party will be forced to make most of its Westminster staff members redundant after the UK parliament reduced its “short money” budget by a million pounds.

“Short money” is funding handed out by parliament to help opposition parties hold the government to account. It is separate from MPs’ office expenses.

Before last week’s general election, the SNP were entitled to £1.3m per year.

Their loss of 39 MPs and hundreds of thousands of votes has meant this budget has now been reduced to £360,000.

Parties are awarded £22,295.86 for every seat won plus £44.53 for every 200 votes gained.

The BBC understands the vast majority of this money had been spent by the SNP at staff who work on media, research and policy.

As a result, the party’s heavily reduced group of MPs has yet to decide on a strategy in parliament for pressuring Labour to scrap the two-child cap.

The SNP has faced numerous financial problems in recent years including a police investigation into party finances, a loss of £800,000 in its 2022/23 budget, and a sharp reduction in donations.

It has received no reportable cash donations in 2024, according to the Electoral Commission.

The BBC has contacted the SNP for comment.