Sinn Féin today launched its bid for a judicial review of the UK’s electoral commission decision to withhold funding from the party.
Papers were lodged at Belfast's High Court today after other Northern Ireland parties received development grants of more than £130,000 in March.
The Electoral Commission allocated policy development grants worth £133,921 to the Ulster Unionists, the Democratic Unionists, and the SDLP while denying Sinn Féin funding because it does not take its House of Commons seats.
Sinn Féin has four MPs at Westminster: party president Mr Gerry Adams, vice president Mr Pat Doherty, Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Michelle Gildernew.
Speaking at Belfast's High Court today, the party's Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP, Ms Michelle Gildernew, said: "The decision of the Electoral Commission to deny Sinn Féin almost £100,000 which it is entitled to is both discriminatory and in bad faith. This judicial review is aimed at challenging this decision.
"Sinn Féin have twice the required number of MPs and should be entitled to this money as of right. As we witnessed at the last election, the majority of nationalists in the north support the Sinn Féin position on abstentionism."
She added: "Sinn Féin do not expect or demand any more than we are entitled to. This decision by the Electoral Commission is part of the old, failed agenda which, for years, attempted to ignore or deny the Sinn Féin mandate."
Sinn Féin was granted House of Commons offices earlier this year, despite refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen.
PA