Which party is the most expensive to campaign for? (Spoiler: If you’re a Ukip candidate, you’re going to be out of pocket)
Ever thought about going on the campaign trail for the general election? Campaigning costs money, and parties are seeking cash from their grassroots supporters.
We looked into how much it costs to buy a couple of pieces of party-themed merchandise – a rosette, a t-shirt and a mug.
The Labour party is the cheapest party to buy these three items from, costing their campaigners £11.
It costs the most to buy these three branded merchandise items from Ukip – despite its rosettes being the cheapest at £1. Along with a t-shirt and mug, the set would be £19.
Margaret Thatcher merchandise and "set up kits"
The UK’s main parties offer various items of merchandise on their online shops. The Labour party hosts campaign materials dating back to 1945 , while the Conservatives have a page dedicated to “Maggie”-themed merchandise .
The Green party offers a “basic local party set-up kit” for £99 – which includes 100 A3 posters, 500 leaflets, 20 rosettes, 50 badges and 6 high-visibility vests.
The Liberal Democrats, whose merchandise is advertised on a third-party site , offer the most expensive rosette – at £2.35.
Membership
The price of becoming a member of each of the parties varies dramatically. A working adult can join the Liberal Democrats for as little as £12 a year, whereas membership to the Labour party costs £46.50.
All of the main parties offer discounted prices to students and young, however. Ukip, the Conservatives and Labour have discounts for those in the armed services.
The Lib Dems have reduced membership fees for the unemployed, and the Greens also give a discount out for those on low incomes. Labour, meanwhile, discount their membership fees for retired and unemployed people, as well as those working less than 16 hours per week.