The SNP received no reportable cash donations in the first three months of 2024, according to new Electoral Commission data.

Most of the money received by the party came from Short Money, public cash given to all opposition parties in the Commons with two or more MPs.

The taxpayer handed the SNP £105,837.08 a month.

The SNP said that most of their funding comes from “ordinary members who want to see a better future for Scotland as an independent country” and would not meet the threshold to be registered with the Commission.

READ MORE: Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes quizzed 'over £450m unspent EU funds'

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour took in £131,901.28 over the course of the first quarter.

While £60,751.28 came from the Scottish Parliament’s equivalent of Short Money, the rest was from private donors.

That includes £18,750.00 from Labour Together, a thinktank close to Sir Keir Starmer.

They were previously dismissed by Anas Sarwar as a "fringe" group after their director, Josh Simons, joked about asylum seekers being shipped up to the north of Scotland.

Another £50,000 was donated by Amin Hemani, a businessman who has been a long-time financial backer of the party.

True North, a north-east based public affairs company set up by two former SNP staffers, is shown as donating £2,400 to the party.

The Herald understands this was to sponsor an annual gala dinner last November.

READ MORE: Douglas Ross announces surprise bid to stand at General Election

Controversially, the Conservative Party accepted another £5 million from Frank Hester, a businessman accused of saying Labour’s Diane Abbott “should be shot.”.

He handed the money over in January before he became embroiled in a row over the alleged racist comments.

He also handed the Tories £10 million last year, taking the total from the party’s biggest donor to £15 million.

Ms Abbott said the latest donation was “an insult to me and all black women”.

Mr Sunak should “hang his head in shame” for taking more money from Ms Hester, Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said.

He told broadcasters during a campaign visit to Wiltshire: “I think lifelong Conservative voters will be appalled by this. I think all those other people donating money to the Tory party should ask for their donations back.”

Sir Ed said “of course” the Prime Minister should hand the cash back, arguing that the saga showed “we need to reform the law” around how politics is funded as it “undermines our democracy”.

The Lib Dems later announced they will include a pledge to introduce a cap on donations to political parties in their manifesto.

The party would set the limit at £25,000 and establish an independent commission to determine the amount of funding the political parties should receive.

Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said: “Rishi Sunak has proven he is a man with no integrity.

“He is too weak to return the money donated by a man who has made violent, misogynist, and racist remarks which belong nowhere near our politics.

“If Rishi Sunak had a backbone he’d have cut ties with Frank Hester months ago, returned the money and apologised properly to Diane Abbott.”

READ MORE: David Duguid: Scottish Tories drop hospitalised candidate

Cabinet minister Mel Stride refused to say whether the Conservatives should return the donations, while a Tory spokesman said the matter is resolved.

“I’m not going to get drawn in those kind of issues,” Mr Stride told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

“I believe that Mr Hester has shown considerable remorse since making those remarks, which were utterly unacceptable.”

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Mr Hester has rightly apologised for comments made in the past. As Mr Hester has apologised and shown contrition we consider the matter resolved.

“The Conservative Party is funded by membership, fundraising and donations. All reportable donations are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with the law. Indeed, such observations can be made about who our donors are, precisely because our donations are transparently published.

“Fundraising is a legitimate part of the democratic process.”