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The financial accounts of political parties and accounting units in Northern Ireland have been published by the Electoral Commission.  

The Commission published the accounts of those with income and expenditure under £250,000 in July, and today publishes the accounts of the four political parties over that threshold in Northern Ireland.  

The accounts are for the year ending 31 December 2024, and are published to provide transparency into the political finance system.  

The financial accounts for political parties and accounting units across the United Kingdom (Opens in new window) have also been published today. 

Cahir Hughes, Head of Electoral Commission Northern Ireland, said:  

“We are committed to making sure political funding is transparent. Political parties spend and receive considerable sums of money so it’s important that information on their finances is accessible to the public. Publishing their accounts allows voters to see how parties are funded and choose to spend their money.” 

Party income or expenditure 

In total these parties reported £2,460,729 of income and £2,869,372 of expenditure. This compares with the same 4 parties reporting £2,303,564 of income and £2,398,324 of expenditure in 2023 (Opens in new window).  

The 4 political parties with income or expenditure over £250,000: 

The full financial accounts of all political parties (Opens in new window) are available on the Commission’s website.  

Party income or expenditure under £250,000 

29 political parties and accounting units with income and expenditure of £250,000 or less in the Northern Ireland reported their financial accounts. 

The 5 parties that reported the highest income or expenditure between £50,000 and £250,000: 

For further information please contact the press office on 028 9089 4032 or email press@electoralcommission.org.uk (Opens in new window). For outside office hours call 07789 920 414. 

Notes to Editors

1. The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity by:

• enabling the delivery of free and fair elections and referendums, focusing on the needs of electors and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and accessible
• regulating political finance – taking proactive steps to increase transparency, ensure compliance and pursue breaches
• using our expertise to make and advocate for changes to our democracy, aiming to improve fairness, transparency and efficiency
• The Commission was set up in 2000 and reports to the UK, Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

2. Financial accounts of political parties and their accounting units in Great Britain with income and expenditure over £250,000 have been published today.
3. The Commission has published the accounts of 340 political parties and 633 accounting units from the GB and NI Register that reported income and expenditure of £250,000 or less.
4. All registered political parties must submit annual statements of accounts. Political parties with income or expenditure of more than £250,000 are required by law to independently audit their accounts and include this report in their submission. The fact that a statement of accounts has been placed on the Commission’s website should not be taken to indicate that the Electoral Commission has verified or validated it.
5. Figures for income and expenditure have been rounded. Please see our online database (Opens in new window) for exact amounts.
6. Accounting units with income and expenditure that are either £25,000 or less are not required to submit their accounts.
7. Details of how failures to submit a statement of accounts by the deadline have been dealt with in the past can be found in our publication of closed cases (Opens in new window).