An English former mechanic and driver who spent some time in Ireland has left £1.5 million to Sinn Féin in his will.
The North's Electoral Commission said on Thursday that Sinn Féin received the money, the largest donation ever to a Northern Irish political party, as a bequest from William E Hampton. The money was paid in two instalments of £1 million and £500,000 in April and May this year.
The previous largest donation to a Northern Ireland party was the controversial £435,000 given to the DUP by the Constitutional Research Council in 2016 – money that was largely used on pro-Brexit advertising.
Mr Hampton, who was born in London, died on January 11th last year at his home in Pembrokeshire, Wales, aged 82.
A single man with no children, he left some money to friends and acquaintances, but the main beneficiary of his will was Sinn Féin, a source close to the party said. It is understood that he spent some time living in Ireland and was a long-time supporter of the party.
“He was not Irish, he was listed as British on his birth certificate, and his birthplace is listed as London,” said the source. “He made the will himself, and had it drawn up a few years ago. He’s obviously been a supporter a long time and planned ahead.”
It is understood that Mr Hampton had assets in other jurisdictions, which are still being litigated over, but the main assets were in England and Wales.
“The party have known about him for a long time and it wasn’t exactly new information to the party as the will had been made a few years before,” the party source added. “The death, however, came out of the blue and was unexpected. The death certificate said he died of respiratory failure, and he was quite frail and elderly, so it was probably old age.”
Sinn Féin welcomed the funding from the late Mr Hampton, who was registered as an elector in the UK.
“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,” a party spokesman said. “We are in full compliance with the requirements of the Electoral Commission on all of this.”
The donation was disclosed in the commission’s list of donations and payments from public funds to Northern Ireland parties in the second quarter of this year. Eight political parties registered in Northern Ireland accepted a total of £1,839,973 in donations and public funds in that period.
The only private donations were the £1.5 million to Sinn Féin and a £2,000 payment to the Ulster Unionist Party. Public funds come from the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Northern Assembly and from the Electoral Commission.
Under commission rules donations and public funds of more than £7,500 must be disclosed. Between the private and public payments Sinn Féin received a total of £1,591,696 in the second quarter of the year.
The next highest recipient, purely of public funds, was the DUP receiving, £152,737. The SDLP accepted £27,564; the UUP £25,561; Alliance £19,403; the Greens £11,712; the Traditional Unionist Voice party £6,886; and People Before Profit £4,414.
