Robert Jenrick faces more funding questions — Tory leadership contender received donations totalling £75,000 from firm that was loaned money via a tax haven
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/30/robert-jenrick-faces-questions-over-funding-as-donor-comes-forward
Posted by marketrent
5 Comments
Excerpts from [article](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/sep/30/robert-jenrick-faces-questions-over-funding-as-donor-comes-forward) by Rowena Mason:
*[…] Phillip Ullmann, an entrepreneur, revealed on Monday that he had given the money to the Tory leadership frontrunner through Spott Fitness, a fitness coaching app provider that he said was “part of my family’s group of businesses”.*
*However, Ullmann’s name does not appear on the list of people with significant control in Spott Fitness at Companies House, leaving questions about his role in the organisation.*
*On Sunday, Labour wrote to the Electoral Commission asking for an investigation into the origin of the money after Jenrick received three donations of £25,000 from the business in July. Labour sources said on Monday there were still questions to answer about the arrangement even after Ullmann revealed himself to be behind the company.*
*The company’s accounts show it has no employees, has never made a profit and has more than £300,000 of debts, and in January it registered a loan from Centrovalli, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.*
*In a statement on Monday, Ullmann said he wanted to avoid suggestions that he was “hiding anything” and insisted he understood the importance of transparency surrounding political donations.*
*[…] Ellie Reeves, the Labour chair, said in a letter to the Electoral Commission on Sunday: “Donations to MPs must come from sources registered in the UK. It is clear that Jenrick has serious questions to answer about the origin of these funds and their legality.”*
[removed]
For those who accused Starmer and this government of corruption for accepting gifts. This is an actual example of corruption. Here you have an instance of an MP in receipt of donations that are not only not being fully declared but there seems to be some attempt to cover up who actually is donating money.
It has been revealed that the donor is Philip Pullman. The head of a £800M company, Cordant, that wants to diversify in to one of ‘Social Enterprise’.
Quotes from Pullman are as follows:
***“Fundamentally, society isn’t working,”***
***“The state, democracy isn’t working.”***
***“Look at the social unrest there is in America, look at the massive changes that have happened over very short periods. There is instability. Look at the level of debt within the UK and America and the west. Nor is capitalism working. Look at the inequality we have.”***
The absolute irony in the last statement. Pullman has tens of millions in his own back pocket, whilst also heading a £800M family owned business. Capitalism and the tax system is working fine for himself and family, yet he is horrified by inequality. Couldn’t he back a change in Capital Gains Tax, Corporation Tax and IHT? God, no. That will impinge his own extreme wealth which is helped by a tax system that hugely benefits the already wealthy.
Also, he talks of the necessity to change how the NHS operates. He also wants to impact education and employment. An article written on him states that: ”he has plans to shake up the NHS by offering an IT system that Cordant, his own company, has developed”.
On education, ”Cordant is designing a programme it hopes will improve teacher and pupil engagement.”
Basically, Pullman is getting in bed with a leading Tory in the hope that eventually, if they get back in to power, his company will be a playmaker in both health and education sectors.
Pullman is putting himself out there as a philanthropist and someone concerned about society and welfare. In reality, he is just another wealthy opportunist trying to influence political policy whilst making even more money at the expense of the people. Why can’t he just donate to charity or create an institution that costs nothing to those that it provides for?
Doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.
I heard him this morning on Radio 4 getting his ass handed to him by Mishal Hussein. I hadn’t heard his voice before and had no idea who it was, but I somehow knew it was a Tory and that he was doing such a bad job of wriggling out of responsibility that he was embarrassing himself. My toes were curling and I would have switched off if I had had a free hand.
The point is, I doubt he is bright enough to understand that that this is corruption. He’s exactly the same as all the other Tories we’re put up with over the past 14 years and I have no doubt he’ll be the next leader. It’s who they are.