UUP's Lord Rogan calls for closure of a funds ‘loophole’ which benefits Sinn Fein - but government says it's in line with Belfast Agreement
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Rogan has called on the Government to close a “loophole” which allows political parties standing for election in Northern Ireland to receive funding from outside the United Kingdom.
Speaking during oral questions in the House of Lords, Lord Rogan said “aside from its historic support for terrorism, murder and mayhem, Sinn Féin/IRA is unique in the United Kingdom political system because it receives much of its funding from the Irish Republic and the United States”.
“Over the past five years, Friends of Sinn Féin, the party’s fundraising arm in America, banked more than $2 million. Although laws in the Republic of Ireland prohibit money raised abroad to be sent there, Friends of Sinn Féin can legally send money to Northern Ireland. Can the Minister tell me when His Majesty’s Government intend to close this loophole, which would not be acceptable in any other part of the United Kingdom?”, he said.
Lord Rogan asked the Communities Minister Lord Khan of Burnley when the government intends to “close this loophole” which he said would not be acceptable in any other part of the United Kingdom.
Lord Khan confirmed that “political parties registered in Northern Ireland can accept donations from Irish sources such as Irish companies that meet the conditions” under rules which recognise “the special place of Ireland in the political life and culture of Northern Ireland” – saying it is consistent with the principles of the Belfast agreement.
Former DUP leader Baroness Foster said foreign donations were not the only issue – stating that Sinn Fein’s “social media accounts are run by a company in Serbia”.
The minister said the government would seek “to mitigate the risk that disinformation and misinformation and AI-driven election interference pose to the UK’s democratic processes. On social media, there are already robust donations and third-party campaigner spending rules in place”.
Sinn Féin said in 2021 that two party supporters based in Serbia are involved in managing their Facebook accounts. They said the accounts are managed in Ireland but admitted two supporters based in Eastern Europe “help out” on their social media team.