Conservatives paid out most in Euro poll
The Conservative Party splashed out the most money in June’s European elections, the election watchdog has found.
Michael Howard’s party coughed up £3,130,226, winning 27 seats, despite a comparatively poor showing in the polls.
Anti-Europe party UKIP paid out £2,361754 on campaign costs, a third more than Labour, to win 12 seats. It ran the slogan “say no to Europe” during the elections.
Labour’s modest £1,707,224 expenditure delivered modest returns, with just 19 candidates returned.
With a careful eye on the coffers, the Liberal Democrats paid out £1,188,691, the smallest campaign costs among the main parties, equalling UKIP with 12 seats and coming third in the polls.
The Greens spent £404,000.
The Electoral Commission said UKIP’s funding came largely from Yorkshire multimillionaire Paul Sykes, who injected £1.44m into the campaign, and Kent businessman, Alan Bown, who handed over £513,000 as of March 2003.
