Sunak took £10k helicopter journey and bagged Tories £250k donation from tycoon
Rishi Sunak took a £10k helicopter journey to a grocery store tycoon’s again backyard to rattle his tin for a £250k donation.
The Prime Minister was extensively criticised for flying by helicopter from London to his constituency final May – stopping off to go to the Altrincham dwelling of billionaire B&M boss Bobby Arora on the best way.
And figures simply launched by the Electoral Commission reveal how profitable Mr Sunak’s journey was.
Mr Arora donated £250,000 to the Conservative Party in December – one of many occasion’s largest single donations of the yr.
It’s Bobby Arora’s first political donation, in response to the Commission’s data – although his brother Simon has beforehand given £50,000 to the Tories.
The £10,000 price of the helicopter journey was lined by one other tycoon – Ferrari driving businessman Steve Parkin.
In complete, the Tories have been handed round £48million in money donations and public funds in 2023.
The occasion had recorded an general loss in 2022 amid a yr of political turmoil which noticed three totally different prime ministers enter Number 10.
Including donations to each the central occasion and native branches in addition to all funds from commerce unions, firms, people and public funds, Labour obtained round £31 million throughout 2023.
But regardless of being behind the Tories general, it was Labour’s largest ever yr in donations from people and firms – who gave greater than £13 million in complete.
The Conservatives trousered £10million in donations from well being tech tycoon Frank Hester and his agency the Phoenix Partnership (Leeds).
And two Tory MPs donated their very own money to the occasion in a determined bid to get re-elected. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt handed his native occasion £18,084 in November – taking the entire he is donated because the final election to £123,345.
And John Penrose gave £10,000 to his Weston Super Mare constituency. Polls present each seats are underneath menace on the subsequent election.
Labour’s largest backer general was former Autoglass boss Gary Lubner, who gave £4.5million, whereas the biggest single donation of £3million was offered by Lord David Sainsbury, the long-standing Labour supporter.
Lord Sainsbury was a serious donor when the occasion was final in energy, serving as a minister in Tony Blair’s authorities.
He later minimize off his help to the occasion because it shifted to the left underneath Jeremy Corbyn’s management, however returned to the fold in 2022.
Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds mentioned: “Thanks to Keir Starmer’s leadership, last year was our best fundraising year ever.
Labour will turn the page on 14 years of Tory failure with a plan to deliver the change Britain deserves.”
