An Iranian not entitled to vote in UK General Elections is Brown's second biggest donor

The Mail on Sunday's Jonathan Oliver, who broke the Abrahams story, has done it again.

Tomorrow's newspaper has this:

"The focus of the sleaze scandal engulfing the Government switched dramatically last night to the Labour Party's second biggest donor - an Iranian-born car dealer who is not even entitled to vote in general elections.  Mahmoud Khayami, a French citizen, has given a total of £830,000 in the past eight months, making him Labour's biggest individual backer after Lord Sainsbury... Khayami made his first donation on May 2 this year.  But The Mail on Sunday has discovered he only became a "permissible" donor on May 1, when he first appeared on the Electoral Register.  Had he made the payment 48 hours earlier both he and the Labour Party would have been committing a criminal offence.  Even though his name is on the register, he is permitted to vote only in local and European ballots, not general elections.  Commentators said that while he was thus technically qualified to make party donations, the fact he had done so meant Labour was 'sailing close to the wind' on donation rules."

More here.

Chris Grayling commented: "It is now very clear Gordon Brown had ordered a 'dash for cash' ahead of an early Election."

Comments

[Tony Makara]

How much more is there? I'm beginning to lose track! The underlying question here is why would a French citizen of Iranian extraction want to give money to a British political party? Altruism? or do-me-a-favour-ism?

[greg]

It was legal so the Tories should leave it to the press and not get involved.

[Alan S]

You're right greg but this is disgraceful. Miss Higgins from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire has one vote. This Iranian-born Frenchman is corrupting the spirit of our democracy.

[Ken]

Legal - yes, - but perhaps somebody should check his registration VERY carefully. There are sometimes dodgy claims for inclusion on the electoral register submitted (dare I suggest - for political purposes!) which can be challenged. I don't know but it sounds as if his inclusion on the register could have been very "valuable" to the Labour Party. Are the grounds for his claim for inclusion genuine and watertight? - I don't know but perhaps they need careful examination & scrutiny by the local Conservatives (wherever that might be).

[Mac]

Last week all we heard from HH was how she and GB had acted within the letter and spirit of the law. This would hardly seem to be fall within the spirit of the law, although as it was legal the Tories can say nothing.

[Yet Another Anon]

The Conservatives could suggest restricting donations to private individuals who were British citizens only and banning companies, Trade Unions and those who were not British citizens from donating to political parties.

Another option might be to ban ex-cons from voting or donating money to political parties.

[Laurance Allen]

Ah well even the slightest hint of another scandal will be enough to put Labour spittings the bricks at breakfast when that lands on the doorstep. As they often say, its often not the proof, its the insinuation that lasts. Certainly, the aspect of whether he actually qualifies as resident is applicable because if he spends more than 6 months out of the country, he certainly is not resident. Every labour donor is under scrutiny here. Another question I want to know is why Harriet Harman made a personal donation of £6727 to the Labour Party on the 20th Sept when she is supposedly broke.

[rotay]

Stupid for Grayling to get involved - it is clearly legal.

Even more stupid to talk for a Brown dash for cash. Blair was still leader in May!

[No story here]

Ha ha Tory boys. Which do you hate more - that he is French or that he is Iranian.

It is an entirely legal donation. End of.

[Cinnamon]

I wonder what kind of favours he bought for this rather princely sum.

That's the problem with donations, they are often nothing but a legalised bribe, and not the grass roots harvest they ought (and used) to be.

[Iain]

"It is an entirely legal donation. End of."

Not really, the law was brought in to stop foreign nationals having influence in our political parties. Mahmoud Khayami is a French citizen, his donations are made to have influence, now he might have got on our electoral roles via EU legislation allowing EU citizens to vote in our local elections, but that shouldn't permit him to seek to have influence in our national politics.

[Lindsay Jenkins]

Ah the European Union again. It is blurring the critical issue of who is allowed to vote and thus to donate money. Where do our boundaries start and end? Do we have a nation?

And the European Union is at the heart of the Northern Rock scandal.

At least losing half the countries' bank details in the post was a home grown affair.

[Pete]

"It is an entirely legal donation. End of."

You miss the point. It may be within the law, but it looks such an evasion and so tacky, that added to the rest of the funding scandals, it just adds to the smell.

It doesn't matter what Tory boys and gals think, they know which way they are voting. What matters is uncommitted voters, and this looks like sleaze.
A lot of Labour voters feel sickened by this stuff.

[Foolish game]

Isn't Lord Ashcroft a foreign citizen? Glass houses and stones don't mix.

[Foolish game]

Incidentally, it's not "EU legilsation" - it's a consequence of decisions taken by our parliament, in pursuance of a decision by our parliament to ratify a treaty. And guess which party was in government when boith changes were made?

[Martin Cole]

In eleven days this Prime Minister will sign a Treaty that will condemn this country to effective rule by a secretive politburo called the European Council.

Cameron and the Conservative Party are silent on this treaty, although it was negotiated in secret by an individual no longer answerable to Parliament in a forum whose internal procedures are unknown.

The Treaty of the Elysee (or Paris) to quote

www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/eucon/elysee.html

"Crucially, this treaty, under Article 2, para. 1, binds France and Germany to "consult before any decision on all important questions of foreign policy and, in the first place, on questions of common interest, with a view to reaching as far as possible an analogous position."

It therefore obliges France and Germany to attempt to reach a mutually compatible position -- ahead of any EU meetings. In effect it means that the so-called "heart of Europe" has already been colonised by this pair, since 1963."

I do not know, therefore, whether the news of this foreign donation is of greater concern because of the donor's Iranian nationality (due to that country's drive to obtain nuclear weapons) or the French connection. Note particularly the first tranche was received on 2/5/07 just as Blair's conspiracy on the EU Reform Treaty was taking shape as chronicled throughout the summer on my blog.

[Andrew]

I have a new joke/retort/line/photoshop idea to use against Gord.

Picture of Rik Mayall (as Lord Flasheart, not Alan B'stard) standing next to Rowan Atkinson's head as Mr. Bean on Gordon Brown's body and suit, with a lectern. The caption: "Not even Flash, just Rowan" or you could use "Ruled by a has-Bean".

Gordon Brown : In POWER but not in OFFICE. (Unless searching for some lost discs.)

or

Which does Britain deserve:

Cordon Bleu (pic of Dave looking 'hot')
Cordon Brown (pic of Gord looking tired)
(yes I know cordon means ribbon, but we are the blue party and the best dish to be served. and our rosettes have blue ribbons)

[passing leftie]

I know they are being a bit naughty but "donor makes legal donation" is not much of a headine.

Every time I read this stuff, I just say "Lord Ashcroft, Lord Ashcroft, Lord Ashcroft", and it puts everything in perspective.

[Mark Williams]

Hmm, French citizen of Iranian extraction, with US business interests but living in the UK? Reckon he must be one of those non-doms we keep hearing about.

[francis]

How long will it be before EU citizens can vote in General Elections? Gordon Brown needs more votes, so he'll pander to EU citizens living here and as there are probably over 3 million other EU citizens living here, Labour could well win a fourth term, or at the very least only lose its majority. Most EU citizens I've come across (mainly Portuguese, French, Spaniards and Poles) prefer Labour because they see Labour as more Europhile. Remember any EU referendum result will now be skewed more towards the 'Yes', and the more EU citizens come to live here means more likelyhood of their political integration and a 'Yes' vote returned. Time is running out but I think its too late now - we'll be voted into Europe by Europeans living here just like the Irish Republic citizens living in Northern Ireland will vote Northern Ireland into Irish reunification within the next few years.