Tories win on donations...

Riveting revelations made this afternoon show that the Conservative Party has received over 50% of all UK political donations made so far this year. Of the total £8m, donated between January and March of this year, £4.2m went to the Conservatives, just under £3m to Labour, and a poxy £470,000 to the Lib Dems.

The biggest donation given to the Conservatives came in the form of a tidy £300,000 sum from the kindly fellows at Bearwood Corporate Services Limited of Southampton. Another £250,000 chunk came from the founder of JJB Sports, and Michael Hintze, hedge fund manager and philanthropist, donated £104,000. Other donations came in different shades and colours from all over the country.

Westmonster can't help but ruminate upon what all this might mean. Does the large number of donations being made to the Conservatives mean that those pledging the money are trying to buy favour with the next ruling UK party? Or is the increase simply a reflection of the ever-growing popularity of the Conservatives thanks to Gordon Brown? Can it be read as a sign that the Conservatives are sure to win the next General Election? If the big boys are behind them then perhaps so...

The reports also revealed that all three of the major parties are in debt: the Conservatives with £12m, Labour with £17.8m, and the Lib Dems with £1.1m.

Photo: Flickr

Written by Oli Anderson on 22 May 2008 2:20 PM. Permalink