Club members have been accused of taking advantage of a loophole in political fundraising laws to donate large sums to the Conservatives without declaring them.
However, in response to a question from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in 2007, the club declared that it had around 400 members, who each paid membership fees of £100 annually.
[3] These dinners were subject to a complaint in 2006 from Labour MPs John Mann and Kevan Jones, who alleged that they constituted the illegal use of House of Commons facilities for party fundraising.
An investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found that the meals at the Commons were charged at cost, and that the club's fundraising activities were restricted to events outside Parliament.
[5] Between 2010 and 2014, its largest donations were in the marginal seats of Weaver Vale, Bury North, Carlisle and Cheadle, all of which were won or held by the Conservatives at the 2015 election.