A tool designed to level the odds between opposition parties and government could be quite fortuitous for Reform in the coming term. Known as “Short Money”, the scheme provides opposition parties in the Commons with funding for Parliamentary business, travel expenses, and a special stipend for the running costs of the opposition leader.
If the latest voting intention survey – which predicts between 1-16 seats with an estimated 16 per cent of the vote share – is on the money, then Reform is on track to receive over £5 million in taxpayer funds in the next parliament.
Reform MPs would be entitled to a minimum of £21,438 for each seat with an additional amount provided for travel expenses. If they go over the speculated 5 million votes, Reform would also be eligible to receive an additional £1 million over the next term, as £43 is provided for every 200 votes.
Not a bad payday for the new kids on the block. Such a windfall would even put Reform ahead of the SNP and the Greens in terms of short money, and could chip away at anticipated Conservative funds. These provisions, endowed by the tax-payers, are known to be crucial for opposition staffing and expenses, and serve to secure a party’s financial position for the duration of its term.
Along with millions of votes and several seats, this new short money could be transformative in legitimating a party which has been consistently chastised and belittled.
If the surveys are representative, Reform is not only on course to shake the foundations of the British electoral system tonight, but will be provided with the means to do so for many years to come.
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