JCB Research
Private unlimited company in the JCB group (company 00682651); recorded by the Electoral Commission as a Conservative Party donor, 2001–2019
| JCB Research (J.C.B.Research)
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Private unlimited company (Companies House no. 00682651) |
| Founded | Company incorporated 6 February 1961 |
| Headquarters | Lakeside Works, Rocester, Staffordshire |
| Industry | Manufacture of earthmoving equipment (SIC 28922) |
JCB Research is a private company linked to the JCB group of companies. It was largest donor the Conservative Party in the three months around the 2010 general election.[1]
Company record
The Companies House register lists the company as J.C.B.RESEARCH (company 00682651), an active private unlimited company incorporated on 6 February 1961, with SIC code 28922 (manufacture of earthmoving equipment) and its registered office at Lakeside Works, Denstone Road, Rocester, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 5JP.[2] The persons-with-significant-control register shows Anthony Bamford (named there as Anthony Paul the Lord Bamford) as holding 75% or more of the shares and voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors; he was notified on 21 July 2026 and the register records the end of an earlier entry for him (as "The Lord Bamford Dl") on the same date.[2] The overview page shows no accounts, and the filing history lists no accounts filings, only confirmation statements, annual returns, officer changes and persons-with-significant-control notices.[2]
| Name | Role | Status | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Ernest Robert Ovens | Secretary | Active | not stated | – |
| Anthony Paul, Lord Bamford | Director | Active | 21 July 2026 | – |
| Carole Gray, Lady Bamford | Director | Active | 7 September 2026 | – |
Electoral Commission donation record
The Electoral Commission's register, searched on 11 November 2026, holds 154 records of donations from JCB Research, worth £4,367,732.12 in total, dated between April 2001 and October 2019. The donor is recorded as "JCB Research", "JCB Research Ltd", "JCB Research Limited" and (once) "JCB Resarch", with the company number recorded as 00682651, 682651 or left blank.[3] One record repeats another record's recipient, accounting unit, date and value and is treated as a repeat report, leaving 153 donations worth £4,357,732.12. Of these, 141 went to the Conservative and Unionist Party (£4,131,857.12): 39 (£3,144,489.12) are recorded against the central party or with no accounting unit named and 102 (£987,368) against local associations, in 51 different accounting units. In 2010, the year of the general election, the register has 21 donations from JCB Research worth £1,133,000.[3] The register records donors by name, so it does not say whether any of these donations were funded by other JCB companies or individuals.
| Year | Donations | Total | of which to the Conservative and Unionist Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2 | £20,000 | £10,000 |
| 2003 | 1 | £20,000 | £20,000 |
| 2004 | 2 | £9,543.50 | £9,543.50 |
| 2005 | 3 | £55,411.19 | £55,411.19 |
| 2006 | 2 | £13,875 | £8,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | £146,590.38 | £146,590.38 |
| 2008 | 13 | £356,054.69 | £201,054.69 |
| 2009 | 10 | £290,037.50 | £285,037.50 |
| 2010 | 21 | £1,133,000 | £1,133,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | £242,500 | £242,500 |
| 2012 | 5 | £180,000 | £180,000 |
| 2013 | 22 | £206,367 | £196,367 |
| 2014 | 41 | £1,121,501 | £1,081,501 |
| 2015 | 22 | £547,851.86 | £547,851.86 |
| 2016 | 1 | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| Total | 153 | £4,357,732.12 | £4,131,857.12 |
| Recipient (as recorded by the Commission) | Donations | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative and Unionist Party | 141 | £4,131,857.12 |
| Constituency Campaigning Services Board | 3 | £155,000 |
| Brandon Lewis MP | 2 | £15,000 |
| Mr James Heappey | 2 | £15,000 |
| Mr Anthony Cox | 1 | £10,000 |
| Mr George Iain Duncan-Smith | 1 | £10,000 |
| Mr James Wharton MP | 1 | £10,000 |
| The Rt Hon George Osborne MP | 1 | £5,875 |
| The Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP | 1 | £5,000 |
| Total | 153 | £4,357,732.12 |
| Date | Recipient | Amount | Type | EC reference | Same donation also entered as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 2001 | Mr George Iain Duncan-Smith | £10,000 | Cash | C0000709 | – |
| 14 July 2006 | The Rt Hon George Osborne MP | £5,875 | Non-cash (travel) | NC0027299 | – |
| 6 February 2008 | Constituency Campaigning Services Board | £75,000 | Cash | C0001789 | – |
| 1 May 2008 | Constituency Campaigning Services Board | £60,000 | Cash | C0001791 | – |
| 30 July 2008 | Constituency Campaigning Services Board | £20,000 | Cash | C0001792 | – |
| 15 June 2009 | The Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP | £5,000 | Cash | C0002102 | – |
| 23 November 2013 | Mr Anthony Cox | £10,000 | Cash | C0097057 | – |
| 3 July 2014 | Mr James Heappey | £10,000 | Cash | C0103188 | – |
| 4 July 2014 | Mr James Wharton MP | £10,000 | Cash | C0103554 | – |
| 30 July 2014 | Brandon Lewis MP | £10,000 | Cash | C0105145 | – |
| 12 November 2014 | Mr James Heappey | £5,000 | Cash | C0131809 | – |
| 13 December 2014 | Brandon Lewis MP | £5,000 | Cash | C0133641 | – |
Identification and limits
- This addition uses Companies House pages for company 00682651 and the Electoral Commission register, read on 11 November 2026. The earlier text and the Guardian and Unlock Democracy references are unchanged.
- Donations to different local associations on the same day for the same amount are separate donations; only records identical in recipient, accounting unit, date, value and type are treated as repeats.
- No accounts exist on the register for this company, so its finances and the source of its donations are not documented here.
External resources
- Jon Narcross, DONOR OF THE WEEK: JCB AND THE BAMFORD BROTHERS, Unlock Democracy, 18 October 2012.
Notes
- ↑ Jamie Doward, Feud between Bamford brothers threatens to cast light on funding for Tories, theguardian.com, 14 November 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Companies House, J.C.B.Research (00682651): overview, officers, persons with significant control, filing history and charges, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Electoral Commission, Donations and loans search: donations recorded under the donor name JCB Research (all spellings), records read on 11 November 2026 through the Commission's CSV export of the same search, accessed 11 November 2026.