Inconvenient Tory Truth

In the past two years, individual donations from bankers, hedge fund managers, private equity financiers and insurance executives have increased sharply reaching 58.5%

Ten individuals alone have given more than £13m since 2005 out of a total central office funding of £101m. The top donor is David Rowland who first made his money through property investment before investing more widely.

The simple fact is the Tory-party has become the political arm of a few hedge fund owners and City spivs; what they say goes. When they want a tax cut; it comes. When they want Tobin Tax opposed; it happens. When they want din-dins with the main man; it occurs. When they want a Lordship; it cometh fast and furious; indeed six hedge fund managers were among the top ten individual City donors, and two of the top ten – Stanley Fink and George Magan received peerages in 2010.

There is no evidence to suggest that any individual has used their influence to demand a relaxed approach to bank, hedge fund or private equity remuneration, tax or leverage limits until the comment last week. But everyone knows this tiny elite is effectively running the Tory party and legging over the rest of us; including thousands of Medway residents.

Bankers and financiers who were deeply linked to the global financial crisis have also been bank-rolling the Conservative Party the figures reveal. These include Jeremy Isaacs, the former head of Lehman Brothers in Europe and Asia, who has given £190,000.

A small group of powerful financial public relations leaders has also contributed nearly £500,000 to the Conservative Party. These include Finsbury and Pelham PR.