Northern Ireland

Sinn Féin spent more than twice as much as DUP in Westminster election

Seven Sinn Féin candidates were elected MPs, with John Finucane becoming the first nationalist to hold the Belfast seat since its creation. Picture by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker.
Seven Sinn Féin candidates were elected MPs, with John Finucane becoming the first nationalist to hold the Belfast seat since its creation. Picture by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker. Seven Sinn Féin candidates were elected MPs, with John Finucane becoming the first nationalist to hold the Belfast seat since its creation. Picture by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker.

SINN Féin's effort to secure the marginal North Belfast seat from the DUP in the general election was part of an campaign which saw them spend twice as much as their main unionist rival party.

The Electoral Comission yesterday revealed Sinn Féin's £34,684 spend outstripped all other parties by at least £12,000 for the December 2019 poll, which saw seven of its candidates elected as MPs, with John Finucane becoming the first nationalist to hold the Belfast seat since its creation in 1885.

The republican's unlikely nearest spending rival was the Conservative Party, which failed to make in-roads in the region with even a single seat despite a £22,017 outlay.

The Alliance Party's £21,778 was the next highest spend, but it funded a campaign which saw it take Lady Hermon's North Down seat and increasing its vote shares over the 2017 result in all but South Belfast.

The election also confirmed its position as the third largest party in Northern Ireland when defined in terms of vote share.

SDLP's £19,612 campaign saw it regain two seats to return to the Commons, including the totemic Foyle constituency for so long synonymous with former leader John Hume.

The DUP's campaign total came in at £16,064 for an election which saw it losing Nigel Dodds in North Belfast and Emma Little-Pengelly in South Belfast to Claire Hanna.

In all £120,996 was spent by 10 political parties contesting the election during the regulated period between December 13 2018 until polling day December 12 2019.

Cahir Hughes, Head of Electoral Commission Northern Ireland, said the publication is "important part of the transparency which is essential to our democratic process".

He said the Commission wants the law changed to compel parties to give more detail in how the money is spent "to address public concerns about who has produced and paid for the political campaign material they see online".

"It is vital that voters are able to see clearly and accurately how money is spent on influencing them at elections."