Tory's election boost is linked to donations row

LUI STRACCIA

Wannabe MP Richard Fuller was caught up in the Lord Ashcroft donations row this week when it was reported his current election campaign received £27,000 in Tory funding.

Nearly a third of the money provided in a bid to elect Bedford and Kempston candidate Mr Fuller came from the Conservative Party’s HQ, towards which tycoon Lord Ashcroft contributes financially.

On Thursday Lord Ashcroft, the Party’s deputy chairman, was cleared of breaking electoral law over £5.1million of donations from his UK firm Bearwood Corporate Services.

But he has still been criticised by many for not sooner admitting he was a ‘non-dom’ - someone who doesn’t have to pay UK tax on their foreign income.

Last weekend The Independent newspaper published a breakdown of funding for marginal seats where the Tories have pumped money towards winning. It said the Party had spent a total of £87,470 on snatching Bedford and Kempston, with £27,384 coming from the Conservative Party centrally during 2007 and 08 combined.

Liberal Democrat candidate Henry Vann, who also has eyes on winning Bedford and Kempston, said: “Anyone who wants to pass laws in this country should pay this country’s full taxes and not hide behind the special offshore status of non-doms.

“Bedford and Kempston’s local Liberal Democrats are sponsored by donations from local people, not by donations from non-dom peers sitting in Westminster.

“Nationally, we would put a cap on donations. Public confidence in politicians will only be restored by ensuring that wealth can’t be used to buy influence in political parties.”
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Electoral Commission has said the donations from Bearwood Corporate Services were legal and fully permissible and were fully declared to the Commission.”