Labour spent £30m compared with the Conservatives' £23m in the 2024 general election, according to data from the Electoral Commission. The total spending by all political parties reached a record £94m, surpassing the £72.6m spent in 2019.
Labour's expenditure included over £12m on advertising across platforms such as Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Spotify, Mumsnet, and billboards. They also spent £140,000 on Swayable, a US platform using AI to measure political messaging impact. The Conservatives spent less than £6m on advertising, including £3m with Meta, and nearly £2m on consultancy from a company owned by campaign strategist Isaac Levido.
Smaller parties spent significantly less: the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK each spent about £5.5m. Reform UK allocated nearly £1m to advertising in right-wing newspapers and large sums on political rallies.
The record spending was partly due to raised limits introduced by the Conservatives, though they were not the main beneficiaries. Traditional direct mail remained the largest expense, with £26m spent on unsolicited paper mail compared to £20m on advertising.
Among non-party campaigners, the National Education Union spent over £600,000, followed by Best for Britain (£400,000), Unison (£400,000), 38 Degrees (£200,000), and Hope Not Hate (£150,000). The election saw a record 60 registered parties, with seven spending more than £250,000.
