Tory Membership May Drop Below 100K/Member Income Plummets

[Borg Refinery]

Conservative Party's membership appears to have tumbled over the past two years, newly-released figures suggest.

The party's income from memberships has dropped from £1.97 million in 2022 to £1.5 million last year, according to the party's accounts, which were published by the Electoral Commission on Thursday.

The 25% decrease – suggesting a collapse of up to a quarter since the last leadership election – has prompted speculation about a potential record-low in the party's membership base.

While the Conservative Party does not publicly disclose its membership figures, the accounts provide insight into the scale of the party's support. Previous estimates had suggested a membership of around 172,000 in 2022, with nearly 142,000 members participating in that summer's leadership contest between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, in which Truss romped to victory and became Prime Minister.

A 25% drop in membership subs between the summer 2022 leadership election and the latest data would suggest a current membership of 130,000 (see note 1 below for methodology).

However, it may be even lower. Standard membership for the party costs £39 annually, with reduced rates available for specific groups such as Armed Forces personnel (£25) and those under 26 years old (£10).

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