More shadow frontbench office donors revealed

The latest MPs' register of interests was published yesterday, the first since the parliamentary standards commissioner said the Conservatives must disclose who is financing their staff and research. Key findings as picked out by the Guardian are:

• George Osborne's office was revealed to be receiving funds from property investor Sir John Beckwith, and Lady Serena Rothschild. The register shows it is also receiving financial support from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, accountants Grant Thornton, the European School of Management, management company the Boston Consulting Group; and investment managers Smith and Williamson.
• Michael Gove declares fourteen donors including carpet millionaire Lord Harris (who also backed Osborne and Davis), a credit check company and derivatives trading company both based in Knightsbridge, wealthy commercial lawyer Rommie Tager, and Alan Bekhor - the man behind Standpoint magazine. He also declares thirty-four companies and individuals - including the owners of Annabel's nightclub in Berkeley Square - as donors to his Surrey Heath constituency.
• Nick Herbert is being backed by Lord Bell and by Overgoal Ltd, an acquisitions company run by Mark Scalon, which was involved in a row with the Unite union over redundancy payments following the takeover of a Reader's Digest distribution company.

The piece wrongly implies that Chris Grayling's donations are newly revealed as a result of the register, but like Liam Fox and others he had already declared them. The register also shows the extent to which Australian hedge fund billionaire Michael Hintze is a major funder of frontbench offices, and that health technology businessman Julian Schild funds Osborne, Lansley, and Stephen O'Brien, as well as a working group into the NHS IT system. Lord Ashcroft is continuing to offer the use of his jet to frontbenchers and provided a helicopter flight for Cameron from Crewe to London during last month's byelection campaign.

Comments

[Sally Roberts]

As long as they declare these donations I do not see the problem! Shadow spokesmen do not have the benefit of Whitehall in order to run their offices and they cannot run them on fresh air! Thank goodness we have enough people amongst the very wealthy who would like to see a Conservative Government and are happy to put their money where their mouths are!

[passing leftie]

When will Ashcroft pay the taxes he promised?

[Saltmaker]

Passing Leftie, you don’t know that he hasn't. It must grate upon your authoritarian Labour instincts that a man's tax affairs can be between him and the Inland Revenue.

[Edward Huxley]

I have nothing against very rich people like Ashcroft and don`t mind how he spends his money, such as granting free trips to a favoured few in his private aircraft.

However,what I object to is David Cameron of all people lecturing us about climate change when he is one of those benefitting from such use of what are called our diminishing energy resources.

These people really do live in another world.

Re Osborne`s office, does it really cost half a million pounds a year to run it- figure quoted in the press some time ago?

[Jane Gould]

no problems with this at all. Transpraency means that donors cannot expect favours - peerages etc. once we're in office. This was the real problem with previous vested-interest donations, though would be really naive to suggest that it will stop altogether.
more examples here of how we - the Conservative party - are beginning to capture the Zeitgeist.

[Contrary Rightwards]

Passing leftie has a point about Lord A. I understand he was given a peerage on the express undestanding that he would move to the UK, I understand his country of residence is still Belize!

[Saltmaker]

Contrary Rightwards, I understand that he doesn't answer questions about where he resides. I also suspect that he wouldn't subject his wealth to the British tax system without first becoming a pauper.

[Contrary Righwards]

In that case Saltmaker he makes a fool of Cameron and his worthy moves on transparency as well as cleaning up political funding!

[Libertarian]

Accountants should not funding Osborne's office. There is an obvious conflict of interest that is unacceptable. It smacks of cash-for-policies and Osborne should resign.

[Peter Crombie]

Accountants funding Osborne's office.... and unions funding Brown and Brothers! That's life. If all political funding is clear and above board then the electorate know what to do.

[Peter Crombie]

Accountants funding Osborne's office.... and unions funding Brown and Brothers! That's life. If all political funding is clear and above board then the electorate know what to do.

[Peter Crombie]

Accountants funding Osborne's office.... and unions funding Brown and Brothers! That's life. If all political funding is clear and above board then the electorate know what to do.

[passing leftie]

Contrary Rightwards, I understand that he doesn't answer questions about where he resides. I also suspect that he wouldn't subject his wealth to the British tax system without first becoming a pauper.

He made a promise that he would make the UK his place of residence if he got a peerage, and pay UK income tax.

Hague said at the time "This decision will cost him (and benefit the Treasury) tens of millions a year in tax, yet he considers it worthwhile." He gave a "clear and unequivocal assurance that he will take up permanent residence in the UK before the end of the calendar year [2000]".

In the Times libel case his spokesman said "Mr Ashcroft has told the Times that he recognises the public concern about foreign funding of British politics, and that he intends to reorganise his affairs in order to return to live in Britain."

Five years after these assurances were given, he listed Belize as his place of residence in the Lords' register.

His bullshit about privacy and his place of residence for tax purposes should be called. He gave a public assurance he would change his residence, and it's on record that in 2005 he hadn't done so.