NI political parties accept £412,902 in Q1 2026
Political parties registered in Northern Ireland reported accepting £412,902 in donations and public funds during the first quarter of 2026 (January to March), according to figures published today by the Electoral Commission.
This compares to £437,613 in the same period in 2025, and £435,891 in the previous quarter (Q4 2025).
Cahir Hughes, Head of the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, said:
“Political parties accepted £412,902 in donations in Northern Ireland during the first quarter of 2026. The UK political finance system has high levels of transparency, and we know that voters care about where parties get their money from. This publication is a key part of delivering this information to voters.
“However, we know there are parts of the system that need strengthening, and we have highlighted the need for changes to the law for some time. The UK government’s proposed reforms to the political finance regime in the Representation of the People Bill could strengthen donation controls and help ensure voters have confidence in the political finance system. We will continue to work with the government so that any changes are grounded in evidence and workable in practice.”
The political parties to report donations in Q1 2026 were:
| Party | Total reported | Donations accepted (excl. public funds) | Public funds accepted | Total accepted in this quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland - Alliance | £61,871 | £20,535 | £41,336 | £61,871 |
| Democratic Unionist Party - DUP | £104,347 | £0 | £104,347 | £104,347 |
| SDLP (Social Democratic & Labour Party) | £79,536 | £0 | £79,536 | £79,536 |
| Sinn Féin | £126,845 | £0 | £126,845 | £126,845 |
| Ulster Unionist Party | £40,303 | £0 | £40,303 | £40,303 |
| Total | £412,902 | £20,535 | £392,367 | £412,902 |
The value of donations reported by a political party to the Commission may differ from the value of donations it actually accepted in that quarter. This can be due to aggregated donations, impermissible donations, and/or late reported donations.
Borrowing
No party reported a new loan or any other changes to loans.
Further information
The Commission has also published the donations and loans for parties across the United Kingdom today, with parties receiving a total of £24,688,802 in donations and public funding in the first quarter of 2026 (January to March).
Full details of donations and public funds for political parties in Northern Ireland are available on our political finance register, as are details for political parties in Great Britain.
Ends
For more information contact the Electoral Commission press office on 028 90 894 032, out of office hours 07789 920 414 or [email protected]
Notes to editors
- Political parties are required to submit quarterly donation and loan returns to the Electoral Commission. Within these returns, parties report:
- donations accepted above the £11,180 threshold (over £2,230 for accounting units)
- smaller donations from a single donor which exceed the reporting threshold when taken together
- impermissible donations they have received and the action taken in relation to these
- donations which ought to have been reported in previous quarters
- As parties only report donations and loans over these thresholds, the figures do not include all donations and loans to political parties. Donations and loans under these thresholds are recorded in political parties’ annual accounts.
- Public funds are donations from the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament and the Electoral Commission. ‘Short’ and ‘Cranborne’ grants are available to parties in opposition in the House of Commons or House of Lords respectively.
- Some donations appear on the register as being from the Electoral Commission. These are Policy Development Grants, which were established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 for parties represented in the Commons by two or more sitting members. The grants are intended to assist parties in developing the policies that they will present in an election manifesto. The legislation provides the total sum of £2 million annually for all eligible political parties for this purpose. Policy Development Grants became reportable as donations for the first time in quarter three of 2006 as a result of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.
- There were 30 registered political parties in Northern Ireland during quarter one 2026. Eight were required to submit a quarterly donation report and four to submit borrowing information within the deadline. The remaining political parties have previously submitted four consecutive nil returns. Providing they have not received donations in the last quarter, they are exempt from submitting a report.
The government's proposed changes to the political finance regime are intended to strengthen the system by closing loopholes. This should in turn build public trust and confidence. The government has proposed:
- Changing the law so that only companies which have a connection to the UK and have generated revenue in the UK can make political donations
- introducing additional ‘know your donor’ checks by political parties
- closing some of the loopholes in the unincorporated associations regime.