SNP membership numbers decline but party accounts in surplus

The SNP were not alone in lower membership numbers over the course of 2023, with most of the major parties seeing a decline.

The UK Labour party lost 37,000 members, bringing its total membership at the end of the year to 370,450.

Although Labour remained the largest party in the UK, the figure was well down on its recent peak of 532,046 at the end of 2019.

The Liberal Democrats lost around 11,000 members but, due to an increase in donations and income from party conferences, ended the year with a surplus of £271,258.

While the Conservatives do not publish membership figures, income for the party from membership fees fell from £1.97m to £1.5m.

The Conservatives had a financial surplus of £17.9m – helped by a £10m bequest from Lord John Sainsbury.

Not every party saw a drop in members, however, with the Green Party in England and Wales increasing to around 53,000, up from 49,000 members in 2019.

Reform UK claimed its membership had grown “significantly”, although it did not publish figures.

The Scottish Greens said their finances improved during 2023 but membership income declined slightly.