Michael Farmer
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Michael Farmer is a multi-millionaire hedge funder.
He is a major donor to the Conservative Party and former Party treasurer. [1] [2]
He is also a staunch Brexiteer who has supported the campaign to take the UK out of the EU.
Contents
Political influence in the UK
Conservative Party donor
Farmer has been a major donor to the Conservative Party since 2001. As such, he is a member of The Leader's Group, the premier Conservative Party supporter group. Through an annual membership fee of £50,000 donors are able to secure access to leading members of the party.
He was made co-treasurer of the Party in March 2012.
Christian conservatism
Farmer, who took up Bible studies for two years not long after he sold his business to Enron, says his motivation for funding the Tories was based on his belief that the Tories under David Cameron would be a better government for the country than Labour were. Labour, he says, 'governed incredibly badly'. [2]
- "The tax and benefits structures put in place under Labour have not created a strong society, they've done the opposite. They've just encouraged unhappy lives. The core unit of society – husband, wife, parents, children – have been dismantled. Ed Balls has suggested that the idea of 'family' is Victorian. Give me a break. Families have been around forever, all around the world. This isn't Victorian, this is how society works best. Labour's idea of a family is three people who share a fridge."
- "I met Cameron around 2006 and we spoke about importance of the family," says Farmer. "I suppose you can be cynical about politicians but I felt his response was genuine and I have felt the same ever since." [2]
Farmer also donated £2,000 to Philippa Stroud's unsuccessful campaign to become Tory MP for Sutton & Cheam. Previously head of the influential Christian-orientated think tank the Centre for Social Justice, Stroud became special adviser to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith who set up the Centre for Social Justice.[3] She is now director of the Legatum Institute.
Brexit supporter
Farmer is a Brexit supporter and donated £300,000 to the Vote Leave campaign to take the UK out of the EU. He said Brexit would be a "bright new beginning" for Britain.
Opposing voting reform
Farmer donated £100,000 to the successful ‘No to AV’ campaign in 2011, which opposed replacing the UK's first-past-the-postvoting with a fairer 'alternative voting' system.
Business interests
Farmer founded RK Capital Management whose main fund, Red Kite, is one of the biggest industrial metals hedge funds in the world. Dubbed "Mr Copper", Farmer is often responsible for shipping around 15pc to 20pc of China's copper supplies. [2]
Donations
Recorded by the Electoral Commission: For an up-to-date list of donations by Peter Cruddas, search the Electoral Commission website:[4]
[5]| Date | Name of donor | Amount | Donated to | Subsidiary (parties only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/05/2001 | Michael S Farmer | £10,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 09/05/2002 | Michael Farmer | £10,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 03/12/2004 | Michael Farmer | £10,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 09/03/2006 | Michael Farmer | £50,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 27/04/2006 | Michael Farmer | £50,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 02/08/2006 | Michael Farmer | £40,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 19/12/2006 | Michael Farmer | £500,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 23/07/2007 | Michael Farmer | £130,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 09/11/2007 | Michael Farmer | £279,750.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 22/04/2008 | Michael Farmer | £150,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 05/09/2008 | Michael Farmer | £27,648.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 05/09/2008 | Michael Farmer | £27,648.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 04/07/2008 | Michael Farmer | £36,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 02/10/2008 | Michael Farmer | £150,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 13/01/2009 | Michael Farmer | £150,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 03/04/2009 | Michael Farmer | £75,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | Central Party |
| 13/05/2009 | Michael Farmer | £2,000.00 | Philippa Stroud | |
| 21/04/2009 | Michael Farmer | £252,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 05/08/2009 | Michael Farmer | £252,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 20/10/2009 | Michael Farmer | £274,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 30/03/2010 | Michael Farmer | £75,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 26/02/2010 | Michael S Farmer | £325,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 06/05/2010 | Michael S Farmer | £4,300.00 | Conservative Party | Arfon |
| 17/06/2010 | Michael S Farmer | £258,500.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 18/08/2010 | Michael S Farmer | £76,600.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 10/11/2010 | Michael S Farmer | £83,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 15/02/2011 | Michael S Farmer | £82,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 19/05/2011 | Michael S Farmer | £75,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 30/09/2011 | Michael S Farmer | £18,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 29/03/2011 | Michael Farmer | £100,000.00 | No Campaign Limited | |
| 16/12/2011 | Michael Farmer | £80,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 12/04/2012 | Michael Farmer | £76,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 09/03/2012 | Michael S Farmer | £183,950.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 05/04/2011 | Michael Farmer | £75,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 28/05/2012 | Michael S Farmer | £512,450.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 27/09/2012 | Michael S Farmer | £525,560.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 16/01/2013 | Michael Farmer | £2,000.00 | Mary MacLeod MP | |
| 14/12/2012 | Michael S Farmer | £13,998.42 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 14/12/2012 | Michael S Farmer | £23,700.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 08/03/2013 | Michael S Farmer | £4,334.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 08/03/2013 | Michael S Farmer | £250,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 30/04/2013 | Michael Farmer | £75,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | Central Party |
| 27/06/2013 | Michael S Farmer | £280,770.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 08/08/2013 | Michael S Farmer | £250,000.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 10/12/2013 | Michael Farmer | £25,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 13/11/2013 | Michael S Farmer | £267,200.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 24/03/2014 | Michael Farmer | £75,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 13/02/2014 | Michael S Farmer | £257,500.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 02/06/2014 | Michael S Farmer | £333,500.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 22/09/2014 | Michael S Farmer | £296,400.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 22/09/2014 | Michael S Farmer | £6,579.60 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 03/11/2014 | Michael Farmer | £25,000.00 | Conservative Christian Fellowship | |
| 18/12/2014 | Lord Michael S Farmer | £10,000.00 | Conservative Party | Chippenham |
| 18/12/2014 | Lord Michael S Farmer | £25,000.00 | Conservative Party | Kensington |
| 18/12/2014 | Lord Michael S Farmer | £5,000.00 | Conservative Party | Exeter |
| 18/12/2014 | Lord Michael S Farmer | £286,500.00 | Conservative Party | Central Party |
| 23/03/2016 | Lord Michael S Farmer | £200,000.00 | Vote Leave |
Resources
- Holly Watt, The Tory Leader's Group donor club: 'A chance for like-minded people to talk' Guardian, 4 May 2015, accessed 5 May 2015.
Notes
- ↑ Michael Farmer appointed as new Co-Treasurer, Conservative Party News, February 6 2012, acc 13 March 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Louise Armitstead, Michael Farmer: the man known as Mr Copper is glad to give his brass to the Tories, The Telegraph, 07 Mar 2010, acc 13 March 2012
- ↑ Jamie Doward, Secret Christian donors bankroll Tories, The Observer, 2 May 2010, acc 13 March 2012
- ↑ Donor Search, Electoral Commission, accessed 25 May 2016
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Donation Search, accessed 12 May 2016
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Donation Search, accessed 2 March 2015
