The number of people who are members of a political party has dropped to 295,326, a 4.4% fall over the past year, figures from the parties’ documentation centre show on Wednesday.

The drop in membership affects all the parties, with the exception of the left-wing liberal D66 which increased its members by 6% and the minor Christian party SGP which gained 10 new members.

The biggest loser was the party for older people, 50Plus, which saw a fall of 28%.

The coalition partners also lost members. The right-wing liberals VVD saw membership drop by 7.8% to 31,000, and the Labour party by 6% to 49,000.

The Christian Democrats remains the biggest party with around 53,000 members, a fall of 5.7%.

The anti-immigration PVV does not have any members.

It is the first time membership has fallen below 300,000 this century.