Westminster Accounts: Warrington’s MPs explain “donations”

WARRINGTON’S two MPs have explained “donations” they have declared in Westminster Accounts following new research compiling funds received connected with their political activities.

Warrington South MP Andy Carter (Con), has been shown to have received donations totalling £22,470 between January 2020 and November 2022, while Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols, (Lab), has received a total of £7,430 between January 2020 and November 2022. Both MPs were elected at the December 2019 General Election.

Mr Carter, who described the figures as “misleading” said: “As a Member of the Committee on Standards and someone who has recently called for greater transparency in what Ministers report, I welcome any additional tools which help constituents to access the register of MPs Interests. However, much of the detail included in the Westminster Account is already available, with additional supporting explanations of the source and purpose of the funding. The detail that can be found on the Parliamentary system hasn’t yet appeared on this new website, which would be beneficial.
“As well as donations made to the political party, I record invitations received to events when I attend in my capacity as a local MP or as a member of a specific Parliamentary Group along with their value.”
Donations include £7,000 from Foxglove Solutions in January 2020, £5,620 from Shoebridge between Jan-Nov 2020, £4,550 from IX Wireless in September 2022 and £400 from Global Media & Entertainment in February 2022, along with two donations from The United Cecil Club, totalling £3,000 in January 2020.
He also declared smaller donations regarding benefits in kind on three occasions for the Rugby League World Cup, totalling £400 and £300 at Warrington Town Football Club.
Mr Carter also explained that some of the sums recorded, involved money received while he was winding up his business following his election to parliament.
He added:”My focus is on being the MP for Warrington South, I don’t have a 2nd job. Confusingly the website doesn’t provide any time periods for payments or record. It shows I received some income from another source but this relates to my former business, immediately after the 2019 election, which I’ve now closed.”

Meanwhile, Ms Nichols, who received £4,000 from the GMB Union in January 2020, £500 from Heineken UK in July 2021 and £2,930 from the British Council in November 2022, said: “The trade union GMB donated to Warrington North Constituency Labour Party during the 2019 General Election (they’re affiliated to the Labour Party nationally and locally), and the other two were both benefits in kind: Heineken provided a ticket to the men’s Euros semi-final, which I attended as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Pubs. The British Council funded the visit of a group of MPs including me to understand the work of the British Council overseas and how this enhances our foreign policy and trading objectives worked on by Embassy and FCDO colleagues in the region.”

UK law requires MPs to declare any “donations and loans they receive in connection with their political activities,” according to the Electoral Commission.
Now, extensive new research has compiled all the sparsely published figures into one database.
A collaboration between Tortoise Media and Sky News has produced a tool allowing users to find out exactly how much their MP has received in donations and from whom.
Since this Parliament began just over three years ago, over £ 183 million has been received in donations, gifts and other payments.
UK law requires MPs to declare any “donations and loans they receive in connection with their political activities,” according to the Electoral Commission.
The new data reveals a total of over £183 million being received by MPs that have sat in the House of Commons since the beginning of this Parliament in December 2019.