What the state publishes about itself
Every number below is computed from data the British state has published, covering 4 July 2024 to 9 August 2026. Nothing here is modelled, projected or targeted. Where the published record is blank, that blank is reported as a figure in its own right.
Public contracts
Every contract award notice published to Contracts Finder since the general election. Counts and the median, never a total — see the note below.
Award notices published
87,210
4 July 2024 to 9 August 2026
One notice per award. A single notice can cover several suppliers.
Median award
£92k
of the 84,714 notices that published a value
The median, not the mean: a handful of multi-billion framework ceilings drag an average into fiction.
Public bodies awarding
2,931
distinct named buyers
Councils, NHS trusts, departments, agencies and universities.
Published no value
2,496
2.9% of all notices
The notice exists; the amount is simply not on it.
Named no supplier
189
0.2% of all notices
Usually framework awards listing suppliers elsewhere, or not at all.
Recorded no region
38,851
44.5% of all notices
So for nearly half of public procurement, the published record does not say where the money went.
Average publication lag
42 days
between award date and publication
How long after a contract is awarded the public is told about it.
| Most active buyers | Notices |
|---|---|
| Leicester City Council | 3,347 |
| UK Research & Innovation | 2,610 |
| Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport | 2,102 |
| Ministry of Defence | 1,581 |
| National Highways Limited | 1,578 |
| UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED | 1,554 |
| Environment Agency | 1,334 |
| Hampshire County Council | 1,221 |
Political donations
Donations declared to the Electoral Commission by parties, MPs and other regulated donees since the general election. These are amounts actually accepted, so they add up.
Declared donations
5,421
since 4 July 2024
Each an individual declared entry on the register.
Total declared
£119.0m
cash and non-cash combined
Unlike contract values, this is money that actually changed hands.
Distinct donors
1,610
individuals, companies, unions, associations
Counted by name, so one donor giving many times counts once.
Recipients
296
parties, MPs and regulated donees
A recipient can be a national party or a single member.
Largest single donation
£9.0m
one declared entry
Reported as a single line on the register.
| By donor type | Total declared |
|---|---|
| Individual | £61.4m |
| Public Fund | £25.1m |
| Company | £15.7m |
| Trade Union | £8.6m |
| Unincorporated Association | £4.6m |
| Friendly Society | £1.5m |
| Other | £1.4m |
| Limited Liability Partnership | £350k |
Source: Electoral Commission register
Parliament
Divisions, attendance and declared interests for sitting MPs, from Parliament's own APIs. Per-MP records live on the Watchdog.
Divisions held
575
recorded Commons votes
Only divisions — most business is decided without one.
Members tracked
649
sitting MPs
Includes the Speaker and MPs who do not take their seats.
Mean attendance
69%
of divisions an MP was eligible for
Attendance at votes is not the whole job, and a low figure is not by itself a criticism.
MPs declaring interests
584
of 649 members
Declaring an interest is the rules working, not a wrongdoing.
Recorded rebellions
2,669
votes against a member's own party lobby
Counted where a party lobby had a clear line to rebel against.
What we can't tell you
The same data, read honestly. These are the limits of every figure above, and they are on the front page rather than a footnote because a dashboard that hides them is worse than no dashboard.
- Contract values are not spending. The published value is what the notice says, and the largest notices are framework ceilings — a limit many bodies may spend against over years, often shared between hundreds of suppliers. Nothing here tells you what was actually paid.
- There is no outcome data. Nothing published says whether a contract delivered what it promised, ran late, or was varied afterwards.
- Absence is not innocence, and it is not guilt. A blank value or an unnamed supplier is a gap in what was published. It is not evidence of anything else.
- Donations are declared, not complete. The register holds what was reported under the reporting thresholds. Sums below a threshold do not appear at all.
- These figures move. Notices are published late — 42 days after award on average — so recent periods always look emptier than they will.
Full filters and definitions: the method note.