More Money And Questions For Lib Dems After Best Ever Election Result

The Liberal Democrats can look forward to more funding and guaranteed House of Commons questions after winning more than 70 seats last week's General Election.

Ed Davery's party has become the third largest in Parliament after securing 72 seats — its best ever general election result. The Lib Dems take the place of the Scottish National Paty, which returned nine MPs to Westminster, down from the 48 that secured it third place in 2019. 

As a result, the Lib Dems will now be entitled to more short money. This is cash that comes from a funding system set up in the 1970s to support opposition parties. 

Conversely, the SNP will lose out on a significant amount of short money this time around compared to the last parliament, having returned almost 40 fewer MPs than in 2019.

According to the Parliament website, opposition parties are entitled to £22,295.86 for every seat won at the election, plus an additional £44.53 for every 200 votes they gained. This cash is paid every year of the Parliament. 

The money is paid to assist opposition parties in their parliamentary business, and there is an additional short money fund for the running of the Leader of the Opposition’s office that will go to the Conservatives. 

Louise Thompson, a politics lecturer at the University of Manchester who specialises researching into smaller parliamentary parties, told PoliticsHome that for the Liberal Democrats, being the third party means that as well as a position on the front of the opposition benches, there will be more guaranteed time and rights in the Commons. 

"Davey will get his two questions to the PM every week.

"They’ll get guaranteed questions at all the other departmental question times, they’ll get guaranteed rights of reply to all ministerial