Northern Ireland

Sinn Féin's £1.5m mystery donor identified

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald. Picture by Hugh Russell
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald. Picture by Hugh Russell Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald. Picture by Hugh Russell

THE mystery donor who left Sinn Féin £1.5 million was an 82-year-old former motor mechanic and driver who died last year in Wales.

William E Hampton, who died in Pembrokeshire, was born in London in 1935 and held a British passport.

It is thought to be the largest known donation made to a political party in the north.

Mystery surrounded Mr Hampton when his donation was made public yesterday morning by the Electoral Commission.

Electoral law means only the donor's name was made public.

Some further details later emerged through Belfast-based O Muirigh Solicitors, which oversaw legal proceedings for the will.

It told RTÉ that in a will made "in the '90s", Mr Hampton left amounts to a number of individuals and stated that 'all the rest is residue' to be given to Sinn Féin.

The firm said Mr Hampton was born in London in December 1935, held a British passport and had been a "long-term supporter" of Sinn Féin.

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He may have lived in Ireland for a time and "several years ago, he made it known that he would be making a contribution to Sinn Féin in his will".

It is believed further money may be received when the legal work is completed, but a substantial portion of the amount due to Sinn Féin has been allocated.

A Sinn Féin spokesman said: "Sinn Féin can confirm that it received a significant donation from a party supporter who passed away.

"We're obviously pleased that he has chosen to bequest this sum to the party and it's a positive boost to Sinn Féin in working towards Irish unity and towards our political objectives.

"We are in full compliance with the requirements of the Electoral Commission on all of this."

Other political parties in Northern Ireland received almost £338,000 in donations between April and June 2019:

:: Alliance Party: £26,903

:: DUP: £157,612

:: Green Party: £11,712

:: People Before Profit Alliance: £11,135

:: SDLP: £27,564

:: Sinn Féin: £1,591,696

:: TUV: £13,717

:: UUP: £25,561

Legislation introduced in March allows donations and loans of more than £7,500 to parties in the north to be revealed. The law covers donations made to parties from July 1 2017 onwards.

The DUP was previously recorded as receiving the largest political donation given to a political party in Northern Ireland.

In June 2016, a pro-Brexit organisation known as the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) gave £435,000 to the DUP.

Ann Watt, head of the Electoral Commission NI, said: "The political party donations and loans data that we have published allows voters to clearly see how parties in Northern Ireland are funded.

"This transparency helps to enhance public confidence and trust in our democratic process."