Archive for lord ashcroft
Election 2010: a tale of three halves
I wrote the following piece from the Election 2010 edition of Behind The Spin, an online magazine for public relations students and young PR practitioners, expanding on some of my previous posts: When it comes to numbers, coverage of politics in the UK tends to be rather mesmerised by opinion poll ratings and seat projections. However, [...]
The Ashcroft affair: it’s not just about money, it’s about the civil service
What has slowly been dragged out of the Conservative Party over the last day is that senior figures such as William Hague and David Cameron were kept in the dark over the exact facts of Lord Ashcroft’s financial affairs for many years. Despite seeking reassurances and the like – and answering questions about it in [...]
“Reasonable to assume” BNP’s accounts break the law
The Electoral Commission has decided it is "reasonable to assume" the BNP's latest financial accounts break the law.
“Electoral watchdog under fire as Lord Ashcroft inquiry threatens to run into election”
From today’s Observer:
Controversy over Lord Ashcroft’s donations to the Conservative party deepened last night after Labour MPs demanded an urgent meeting with Britain’s elections watchdog.
Placing more pressure on the Tories, Labour MPs want to know why the Electoral Commission’s official inquiry into an Ashcroft-controlled company, which has given £3m to the party, has dragged on [...]
The Political Parties and Elections Act 2009: changes to election expenditure rules
Cross-posted from The Wardman Wire:
Hands up everyone who thought the problem with current rules for controlling constituency expenditure was that they work if a Parliament last for four years but not if it lasts for five? Nobody? Oh well, that’s the basis on which Parliament has just changed the law anyway.
This provision of the Political [...]
Tax-exiles get a new lease of life as political donors
From today’s Observer:
A much-publicised law designed to stop wealthy tax exiles bankrolling political parties has been quietly dropped until after a general election, the Observer has learned.
The disclosure means that key Labour donors such as Lakshmi Mittal as well as Tory donor Lord Ashcroft will still be able to pump millions of pounds into the [...]
Lord Ashcroft and the Conservative Party: the financial controversies
With Michael Ashcroft back in the news over his financial support for the Conservative Party, this post provides a quick recap of the past controversies over Michael Ashcroft, the Conservative Party and political funding.
Ashcroft’s sequence of senior Conservative posts
Under William Hague, Ashcroft was Treasurer of the Conservative Party (1998-2001), becoming a peer and member of [...]
