Rishi Sunak advised to forfeit £350,000 donation from boss of vaping agency
Rishi Sunak is beneath strain to offer away a six-figure donation from the boss of a vaping agency that sells merchandise with names resembling Blue Razz Lemonade and Strawberry Mousse.
The Conservative Party accepted £350,000 final May from Supreme 8 Limited, which is owned by Sandeep Singh Chadha.
He is the Chief Executive of Supreme PLC, a Manchester-based firm that manufactures and sells vapes. It additionally acts as a distributor for Elf Bar, a Chinese-owned agency that has been criticised for advertising and marketing vapes that enchantment to younger individuals.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Labour’s Wes Streeting final evening urged him at hand the cash to organisations that assist individuals give up smoking. The Shadow Health Secretary wrote: “As you have correctly pointed out ‘marketing vapes to children is not acceptable’, and disposable vapes ‘have driven the rise of youth vaping in this country’. It is a pity that you and your party did not come to this view earlier.”
He added: “It was surprising that your party accepted a donation worth £350,000 from Supreme 8 Limited last May.” Mr Streeting wrote that Supreme PLC, an organization that can also be run by Mr Chadha, “sells flavoured disposable vapes, including Blue Razz Lemonade, Strawberry Mousse, and Rainbow Burst flavours”.
“Clearly these are not primarily designed for middle aged ex-smokers,” he added. “It is unacceptable for a political party to accept donations from [those who], by your own admission, have driven the rise of youth vaping in this country. Protecting children’s health should always come before lining your own pockets.”
He continued: “Labour is calling on you to give these donations to smoking cessation services, which help smokers quit tobacco.”
Mr Chadha stated that it was a private donation that he had made himself, slightly than on behalf of Supreme PLC, which is a listed firm. He stated that the agency neither markets or sells its merchandise to kids, he welcomes the Government’s plan to deal with youth vaping and has already begun altering the flavour names of his own-brand vapes.
A spokesman for Supreme PLC added: “Sandy Chadha, Group CEO of Supreme PLC has, historically, donated funds to the Conservative Party. These donations are unrelated to Supreme PLC, of which Mr Chadha is a shareholder, and were funded directly by Mr Chadha.”
A Conservative Party spokesman stated: “Donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, openly published by them, and comply fully with the law.”
