THE co-chair of the Tory Party has said UK Government policy “is in no way influenced by the donations the party receives – they are entirely separate” amid fresh concerns over “sleaze” from Labour.
Amanda Milling hit back at criticisms made by Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds, who has called on the Conservatives to publish a list of ministers who have met major party donors through a secretive club.
Dodds earlier wrote to Milling demanding the party “come clean” about the level of access afforded to financial backers as part of the so-called “advisory group”.
In a letter of response today, Milling noted “all political parties raise money and accept donations in order to pay their staff and campaign in elections”.
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She wrote: “Indeed in the past year the Labour Party has taken just over £1.2 million from Unite. Due to Labour infighting, this has fallen by over £4.5m since August 2019.
“Over the weekend I read that the Labour Party is now seeking donations from billionaire businessmen, such as Lord Sainsbury and Sir Trevor Chinn.
“I would also like to remind you that the Labour Party runs its own Chair Circle Membership group and the Rose Network whose members can pay a fee to get access to Sir Keir Starmer, yourself, and other senior Labour Party shadow cabinet members.”
She added: “Government policy is in no way influenced by the donations the party receives – they are entirely separate. Any donation made to the Conservative Party is properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission and published by them.”
Her letter came as two senior Labour frontbenchers voiced fresh concern over the issue.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner tweeted: “When care home staff were trying to get tests, the people who run the Tory Party were selling Covid tests to their super-rich clients for £300 a pop. This is not a government, it’s a racket run by people taking every opportunity to enrich themselves.”
The Financial Times reported the club was developed in a bid to connect Tory supporters with senior figures, adding that regular meetings and calls have been held with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
The newspaper quoted Mohamed Amersi, a businessman and Tory donor, as saying the club was “like the very elite Quintessentially clients membership: one needs to cough up £250,000 per annum or be a friend of Ben”.
The name was a reference to Conservative Party co-chair Ben Elliot.
Following the report, the Tories said an advisory board meets occasionally and receives political updates.
Dodds is pushing for more information to be put into the public domain about the purpose of the board and who it has benefited.
It comes after further claims were made in the Sunday Times that Elliot – the Duchess of Cornwall’s nephew – helped Amersi meet the Prince of Wales in exchange for payments of thousands of pounds to his company.
In her letter to Milling, former shadow chancellor Dodds said: “It is in the public interest for you to clarify the workings of this so-called ‘advisory board’ and Mr Elliot’s role in offering a powerful elite exclusive access to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor – purely because of their status as Tory party donors.”
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She called for a full list of all donors who have paid to be members of the board to be published, alongside the full complement of Government ministers who have attended any meetings or engagements with members of the board, including dates and times.
Dodds added: “The Conservative Party needs to come clean on what access this group had, what they used that access to lobby for, and why it appears that there is one rule for high-ranking Conservatives and another rule for everyone else.
“The way that Boris Johnson and his friends operate seems to be not about what is right but what they can get away with, blurring the boundaries between public and private life.
“There are now serious questions for the Conservative Party to answer about their fundraising techniques.”
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