Unpacking Short Money: How UK Opposition Parties Get Funded

Short Money is public funding enabling opposition parties in the House of Commons to conduct parliamentary business. Since 1975, it covers operations, travel, and the Leader of the Opposition's office. Learn its allocation by seats and votes, rules for small parties, and transparency requirements. We also cover Cranborne Money for the House of Lords and Representative Money for MPs not taking seats, including ongoing debates about its use.

Key Takeaways:

• Short Money (1975) funds House of Commons opposition parties' parliamentary work.
• Eligibility: ≥2 seats, or 1 seat + ≥150,000 votes; excludes MPs not swearing oath.
• Funds cover general business, travel, and Leader of Opposition's office.
• Allocations based on seats/votes, uprated. Small parties have floor/ceiling limits.
• Parties must provide audited accounts and report staff/costs for transparency.
• Cranborne Money supports House of Lords opposition parties.
• Representative Money funds parties whose MPs don't take seats (e.g., Sinn Féin) for "representative business".
• Coalition governments affect eligibility (e.g., no Short Money for parties in government).
• Reviews are called for Representative Money regarding abstentionist parties.

Important Definitions and Concepts:

• Short Money: Public funds for House of Commons opposition parties.
• Cranborne Money: Funding for House of Lords opposition parties.
• Representative Money: Funding for parties whose MPs don't take the oath, for "representative business".

Discussion: Do public funding schemes like Short Money and Representative Money effectively support democratic accountability, or should funding always be contingent on full parliamentary participation?

Source: Short Money
Research Briefing
Published Tuesday, 29 July, 2025

Support the show

Follow and subscribe to 'The Bench Report' on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes Mon-Thurs: thebenchreport.co.uk

Subscribe to our Substack for in depth analysis of debates past and present.

Shape our next episode or article! Get in touch with an issue important to you - Producer Tom will grab another coffee and start the research!

Email us: [email protected]

Follow us on YouTube, X, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram @BenchReportUK

Support us for bonus and extended episodes + more.

No outside chatter: source material only taken from Hansard and the Parliament UK website.

Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0....