The General Election saw nearly £1 million in lost deposits from candidates achieving less than 5% of the vote. The biggest losers were the small parties with UKIP losing 458 deposits at £500 each, costing them £229,000. In addition to the cost of ensuring Caroline Lucas was elected as their first ever MP, the Green party was hit by a £164,000 loss (equal to half the annual package accrued by Caroline Lucas as a member of the European Parliament), 265 lost deposits cost the BNP £132,500 and the English Democrats were out of pocket by £53,000. In contrast, the Conservatives lost just two deposits, Labour five and the Liberal Democrats didn’t lose any.
