Funding: Tories forfeit donation which broke the rules

THE Tories have agreed to forfeit a £2,500 donation the party received from an individual who was not on the UK electoral register.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Jul 2010, 00:59 BST

Updated 29th Jul 2010, 01:00 BST

The Electoral Commission said the money was donated to Conservatives in Rother Valley, South Yorkshire, last November by Mohammed Nabi.

Legislation requires parties to check that donors are registered as voters, making Mr Nabi's gift impermissible. The party agreed voluntarily to forfeit the money.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "This was a clerical error by the Rother Valley Association, which has voluntarily forfeited the full amount of the donation to the Electoral Commission, as set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000."

The amount forfeited is paid into the Consolidated Fund, it is not retained by the Electoral Commission nor returned to the donor.

The fund is the Government's general account at the Bank of England where tax revenues and other current receipts are paid into.