DUP income drops to an 11-year low putting the party behind the Ulster Unionists – and far in the shadow of Sinn Fein

The figures also show Sinn Fein continuing to dwarf all rivals when it comes to income, taking in as much during 2021 as the DUP, UUP, TUV, SDLP, Alliance, People Before Profit, and Green Party combined.

The accounts cover the calendar year 2021.

Here is the league table of all parties which took in over £1,000 last year, in order of income:

• Sinn Fein: £1,532,946

• UUP: £376,309

• DUP: £339,221

• Alliance: £316,893

• SDLP: £253,997

• Greens: £80,385

• Socialist Party (Northern Ireland): £76,346

• TUV: £65,016

• PBP: £44,843

• NI Tories: £37,099

• Workers Party: £13,063

• Aontu: £9,123

• PUP: £2,080

• Cross-Community Labour Alternative: £1,527

SO WHAT’S THE BIGGER PICTURE FOR THE DUP?

The viewable accounts only go back to 2002, but they show that within that time the DUP’s income each year varies quite widely, from a low of £192,225 back in 2003 to a high of £792,376 in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum.

However, £339,221 is very much towards the low end of what the party can expect to take in annually, and the last time incon ome was so low was in 2010, when it took £268,456

Delving deeper, the Electoral Commission breaks this income down into £15,881 from membership, £163,566 in donations, and £159,774 as “miscellaneous”.

The overwhelming bulk of its spending was on staff at £217,683, with £66,602 going on premises / offices.

REPUBLICAN PARTY DWARFS ALL-COMERS:

As for Sinn Fein, donations made up £927,483 out of its rougly £1.5m income in 2021 (with about £800,000 coming from the bizarre source of William E Hampton, a former English psychiatric patient and son of a rich businessman, who gave millions to the party in his will spread over a number of years).

Almost all the rest came from grants, at £326,221, “miscellaneous”, at £124,285, fundraising, at £71,665, head office contributions, at £54,852,and memberships, at £28,440.

The lion’s share of spending – £923,443 – was on staff, with £207,537 listed as “miscellaneous” and£79,638 on offices and premises.

Sinn Fein typically takes in over £1m per year, ranging from a low of £520,740 in 2002 to a high of £2,495,054 in 2019.

MORE INCOME THAN TUV OR TORIES – THE SOCIALIST PARTY:

One of the unusual things about the accounts is that the Socialist Party (Northern Ireland) has a relatively high income, given it has almost no political profile and stood only two candidates in the 2022 Assembly election.

Led by one Ann Orr and with an address in a terraced house in the Holylands, south Belfast, about £38,000 of its income came from membership fees and £19,000 from donations, with much of the rest from events.

In outgoings, it spent over £37,000 on “pay and expenses”.

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