Sheffield MPs accept more than £175,000 in donations, gifts and hospitality in the last year, records show

All MPs from across the UK, including new ones elected in July 2024, are required to disclose any donations and loans they received in connection to their political activities to the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Ms Haigh declared the highest value of donations and gifts of any Sheffield MP during the last year at £68,579, but was by no means the highest earner, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP receiving £393,000 (including £210,000 from Autoglass CEO Gary Lubner).

Donations are a crucial and very normal part of funding political campaigns in the UK, but politicians are required to disclose where larger donations come from in the interest of transparency.

More than £65,300 of Louise Haigh’s total was from donations. Three donations totalling £60,308.33 were linked to the Sheffield MP, but received by the central Labour Party.

This included two donations from London-based think tank, Labour Together, who were registered as donating £11,978.70 on February 27, 2024, “to support me in my front bench role (Shadow Transport) between February 5, 2024, and March 31, 2024”.

Another donation from Labour Together was registered on April 9, 2024, which would cover “a member of staff in the Westminster office 4.5 days per week to support [Ms Haigh] in my front bench role (Shadow Transport) between April 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024” - this donation was worth £38,329.63.

The then-Shadow Transport Secretary also received a “ticket with hospitality” to the 2024 BAFTAs, worth £1,580.

The second highest total was recieved by new Penistone and Stocksbridge MP, Dr Marie Tidball, who unseated Conservative MP, Miriam Cates, at the General Election.

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Newly elected MPs, like Dr Tidball and Abtisam Mohamed in Sheffield Central, must disclose any relevant financial interests from the year prior to their election.

Dr Tidball was linked to £52,300 worth of donations to the central and local Labour Party - including £30,000 from three private individuals (Mr Lubner, Derek John Webb and a Professor Matthrew Oakshott).

There was also £5,500 from the union Unison and a total of £4,300 from the Community union. Other donors included Labour Together and Political Lobbying and Media Relations Limited.

Marie Tidball MP said: “All donations to me have been made and registered with the Parliamentary authorities in accordance with the rules governing declarations of interest for Members of Parliament. There’s no public funding system for paying for election campaigning in the UK, all political parties therefore have to fundraise to run their general election campaigns.”

The MP for Sheffield Hallam, Olivia Blake, received £49,120 in donations in the last year, including £7,000 to her party from the GMB union.

Many MPs received an influx in donations in the lead up to, and during, the General Election campaign.

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As seen with Louise Haigh’s office, some donations can be offered to help with staffing at constituency or London offices.

Ms Blake also received up to £42,070 from the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP) for “research services provided for two days a week” over three different periods in the last year.

Sheffield Central’s Abtisam Mohamed has declared £5,000 in donations during the year prior to her election.

The former city councillor took over from long-standing MP Paul Blomfield at the General Election, paying tribute to her predecessor in her maiden speech in the House of Commons this week.

UNITE the Union gave the entire £5,000 total to the Labour Party in support of Ms Mohamed’s election campaign.

She told The Star: “The £5,000 donation from Unite the Union went directly to the Sheffield central constituency labour party in support of my election campaign. This contributed towards the costs of printing and distribution of leaflets during the short campaign.”

Clive Betts MP of Sheffield South East declared an “EFL Cup Final ticket with hospitality” worth £400 under the “gifts, benefits and hospitality” category on the public register.

Brightside and Hillsborough MP Gill Furniss has not declared any donations, gifts or hospitality from the past year, as of the public register on September 2, 2024.

Olivia Blake and Clive Betts declined to comment when approached by The Star.

Louise Haigh’s office has yet to respond to request for comment.