Two Northern Ireland political parties rebuked by elections watchdog over donations rules failings

The latest Electoral Commission update also rebuked the Green Party Northern Ireland for inaccurate and late reporting of donations, while the Irish Republican Socialist Party failed to deliver a spending return for the 2022 Stormont elections. Neither party received a sanction.

Labour was issued with fines totalling £600, while the Conservatives escaped with no sanction after both parties failed to follow the rules. The Electoral Commission rebuked Labour for the late reporting of donations, while the Conservatives were also found to have failed to report two donations by the due date.

Louise Edwards, the watchdog's director of regulation and digital transformation, said: "The requirements for political parties are clear, so it's disappointing when they are not fully complied with." She added: "In the case of the Labour Party, our investigations found seven offences related to the late reporting of donations from one of its quarterly financial reports, three of which have resulted in a sanction."