Red-faced ministers rush in new law after being rapped over Northern Ireland donations
2 min read
Ministers have been forced to rush in a new law forcing parties in Northern Ireland to reveal their donors after being rapped by the elections watchdog.
The Electoral Commission hit out at the “continuing secrecy” surrounding the way the likes of Sinn Fein and the DUP raise money.
Political donations in Northern Ireland have long been kept secret due to security concerns dating back to the Troubles.
In July, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said legislation would be brought forward to make donors to Northern Irish political parties public from that month.
But the Electoral Commission today said it was unable to reveal the data because the law still had not been changed.
Bob Posner, the director of political finance at the watchdog, said: “We are extremely disappointed that we are unable to provide the public with the information they expected on how political parties in Northern Ireland are funded.
“The continuing secrecy only serves to undermine trust and confidence amongst the public in the democratic process.”
He added: “The Commission urges the UK Government without delay to bring forward the legislation that it has already announced, for parliament to approve.
“This would allow us to publish donations and loans to Northern Ireland parties as soon as possible.”
In the wake of the criticism, Northern Ireland minister Chloe Smith laid a so-called "draft order" to provide transparency on political donations in the country.
"The draft order would allow for the publication of all donations and loans received by Northern Ireland political parties and regulated donees on or after 1 July 2017," the Northern Ireland office said.
BREXIT
Clamour to make donors public increased in the wake of the EU referendum campaign during which the DUP received hundreds of thousands of pounds from a pro-business group led by a Tory member.
The party subsequently bought advertising space urging a vote for Brexit in the Metro newspaper – which is not distributed in Northern Ireland.
All political parties in Northern Ireland have backed calls to make donations of over £7,500 public – but only Alliance has called for the transparency to be back-dated.
It is thought that the move could be damaging for Sinn Fein, which is thought to receive a sizeable sum in donations from the US.
Elsewhere, the Electoral Commission revealed that the Tories raked in more cash in the three months after the general election than all the other parties put together after a generous gift left in the will of a supporter.
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