Sinn Fein is biggest spending political party in Northern Ireland

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

Sinn Fein had the highest expenditure of any political party in Northern Ireland last year, financial accounts have revealed.

The accounts published by the Electoral Commission show that the republican party had income of £801,145 and expenditure of £1,338,666 for 2020.

The next highest spending party was the DUP, which had income of £340,656 and expenditure of £338,541.

The Alliance Party had income of £282,958 and expenditure of £241,578, while the UUP spent £239,038 with an income of £317,900 and the SDLP brought in £206,736 with an expenditure of £162,177.

Cahir Hughes, head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, said: “All registered political parties must keep financial records and submit annual statements of accounts to us.

“Publishing this data helps voters see political parties’ income and what they’re spending. This is an important part of delivering transparency in political finance in Northern Ireland, and in enhancing public confidence and trust in our democratic processes.”

In total, 30 parties in Northern Ireland reported £2,237,841 of income and £2,569,735.40 of expenditure.

This compares with accounts for 2019 in which 28 parties reported £4,275,093.34 of income and £3,312,540 of expenditure.