Tories raise almost six times more in donations than Labour

Telegraph

2 days ago

The Conservatives raised almost six times more than Labour in private donations in the first quarter of this year, in another sign that businesses are fleeing Sir Keir Starmer's party.
The latest data reported to the Electoral Commission showed the Tories raised £2.8 million from individuals and companies in the first three months of the year, while Labour raised £530,000.
Reform UK reported donations of almost £1.5 million, including £250,000 from the mother of one of Nigel Farage's aides and more than £600,000 from a company run by Richard Tice.
The data showed that political donations to the Conservatives were increasing while Labour was relying heavily on public money and contributions from trade unions.
David Ross, a co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, returned to the Tories as a donor for the first time since Boris Johnson was leader, and will be appointed as a senior party treasurer later this year.
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Ross said the Conservatives must 'honestly admit we failed' to deliver political leadership while in government, urging Kemi Badenoch's party to 'fill that void' from opposition.
He said: 'Being leader of the opposition is one of the most difficult jobs in Britain, even more so after an election result like 2024 and the challenges now faced from both the Left and the Right.
'But Kemi Badenoch has a vision for a revitalised Conservative Party that will take time, trust and transparency.'
Mr Ross, who was worth £800 million at the peak of his business career in 2008, was a close ally of Mr Johnson. He stopped donating after he stepped down in 2022, but has returned with a pledge to donate £20,000 a month to the Tories. The first £40,000 of donations was reported in the Electoral Commission figures.
The figures show that Labour received individual donations from only five people in the first three months of the year, including one bequest of £350,000 and £35,000 from Lord Alli, the controversial peer.
Labour's donations total was dwarfed by the £1.3 million it received from unions. The party has struggled to bring in big business support since the general election campaign, when it significantly out-raised the Conservatives and hosted a series of high profile events for leaders in the City.
But recent policy decisions, including increasing National Insurance contributions for employers, are thought to have driven tycoons away.
It is usual for major political parties to raise less money in the year after an election campaign, and a Labour source said that the party had raised more money in the first quarter of this year than at the same point in the electoral cycle after the 2019 election.
Despite a pledge to bring in seven-figure donations, Reform reported £1.45 million in contributions, including a substantial donation from Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, an aide to Mr Farage.
Mr Tice, the party's deputy leader, donated £613,000 through his company Tisun Investments.
The figures show that Lord Bamford, the millionaire owner of JCB, donated £25,000 to the Conservatives through his company, despite offering some public support for Mr Farage.
In April, JCB hosted Mr Farage for two party events, and the Conservative peer funded an £8,000 helicopter trip for the Reform leader last year. He has said the Conservatives should do a deal with Reform before the next election.
Mohamed Amersi and Bassim Haidar, two former Conservative donors, each gave Reform £25,000 to attend a fundraiser held in January, the figures show.
They did not include any donations to Reform from Nick Candy, the party's treasurer, despite claims reported in the Financial Times last week that he had given £313,000.
Badenoch has vision to revitalised Tories – and Britain
I owe much of who I am today to my grandfather – a man of Grimsby who, despite his entire trawler fleet being requisitioned in the Second World War, had the tenacity and unwavering ambition to completely rebuild his business over the next 25 years, writes David Ross.
Through this dedication, he transformed Ross Foods, a small family firm on Humberside, into one of the UK's largest commercial fishing enterprises. I also learnt first hand from the brave and fiercely patriotic people of Grimsby of the value of a hard day's work, and what they expected in terms of being treated fairly in return.
It was through these examples that I first understood the importance of personal responsibility and the role of strong, principled leadership – values that drew me to conservatism from an early age.
I was, of course, fortunate to be growing up through the golden age of conservatism under the leadership of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, who remain two of the most influential post-war politicians.
Too often, people forget the potential we have here at home when we foster an environment of ambition and opportunity, fuelled by optimism. So if you care about the future of this country, you must care about the current state of our political leadership.
Challenges from Left and Right
We are in a new political era – one that requires leaders who can address problems and propose solutions based on real-life experiences. One that needs policy-making focused on anticipating the needs of the future, not a knee-jerk response to challenges presented by others.
Exposed to stoic leadership early on, I learnt that it's easy to start something but harder to see it through. Being leader of the opposition is one of the most difficult jobs in Britain, even more so after an election result like 2024, and the challenges now faced from both the Left and the Right.
But Kemi Badenoch has a vision for a revitalised Conservative Party that will take time, trust and transparency.
We are being governed by a party whose promises nobody believes. That's why Kemi's approach is the right one. She has made clear she will only announce policies that are costed, clear or will save money. Our country can turn itself around – but not with empty promises.
At times of international uncertainty, technological change and increasing apathy, the Conservative Party needs to articulate more clearly than ever the values we believe in.
As Kemi has said, we need to communicate that it's always been Conservatives committed to the values of enterprise, sound money, and renewal.
Time for conservatives to come together
I will do everything I can to help execute this renewal when I take up my role as a senior Conservative Party treasurer in the autumn.
It's time for conservatives to come together. We are the only country on the planet with policies encouraging wealth creators to leave and benefit takers to arrive. We should be supporting hard-working teachers in our academy schools, helping young people trying to buy their first home, and ensuring business people aren't being leant on to pick up the tab.
My work over the past 40 years across business, the arts, and education all comes from one place – because I love this country and continue to believe in public service. That is why rather than leave the country, as many of my friends are doing, I am committed to doubling down and trying to help our country face up to the many challenges we currently face.
As the founder of the David Ross Educational Trust, I despair that this Labour Government is dragging education backwards.
Once upon a time, education policy was something that had cross-party consensus. Reforms initially spearheaded by Lord Adonis and Tony Blair, built upon by successive Conservative governments, are now being challenged for reasons of political dogma rather than educational outcomes.
It's pointless, time-consuming, and bad for children. It's not what a responsible Government is here to do – no wonder parents are losing faith in our political leaders.
Instead of focusing on actually delivering for our children, our energy is going into fighting unnecessary changes decided without consideration by Labour while in opposition. Their insistence on taking away hard-won freedoms from academy schools, coupled with charging VAT on independent schools, is squeezing the state sector to breaking point.
Now is not the time for excuses
Labour's tax raid on family businesses is rightly causing uproar – it's a travesty. Family-owned businesses, many of which have been in the same hands for generations, are the backbone of our economy and society. They often have deep roots in the local community, like my family's business in Grimsby.
But rather than support those firms, Labour are deciding to put them at a disadvantage compared to foreign owned firms – where is the logic in that? Nothing belies the Government's wrong-headedness more than its desire to make it harder for business people to pass on their business to the next generation.
The need for strong political leadership has never been clearer. This is something we must honestly admit we failed to do at times while in government. But there is now a vacuum in British politics, and it's time for the official opposition to step in and fill that void.
Now is not the time for excuses – we need to take responsibility, and that why's Kemi's mission to renew the Conservative Party is so crucial. I can no longer sit on the sidelines, so I am committing to supporting those trying to give the British people the principled leadership they deserve.