New Labour: Donors

This section features details of the many 'high-value' donors and sponsors of the Labour Party since 1996. All those listed here have given more than £5,000 (the exact figures are given when we could find them). The Labour Party's accounts for 1999 show that 60% of its income comes from donors (20% from donors over £5,000) and 10% comes from commercial activities (events and sponsorship). The Trade Unions, who once generated 90% of the Party's income, now provide only 30% (and only 3 high-value donations in 1998-9).

The proportion of New Labour's funds coming from very rich individuals has dramatically increased in the last 4 years and continues to do so, as Tony Blair moves to distance himself from any responsibility to the Unions and the Party's traditional core of working class supporters. What was supposed to be the 'Party of the working class' is funded by the rich and packed out with businessmen.

The rewards are big for the big spenders - for example, of the 97 official high-value donors in 1998-9 more than 30 have received some kind of Government job. A large number of rich donors have received peerages, knighthoods or Task Force jobs, establishing a set of unelected bosses and millionaires in the heart of the Labour Government - from Lord Sainsbury's peerage and Science Minister job (he has given more than £3 million since 1996) to Robert Devereux's job as Chair of the Creative Industries Task Force.

The list also includes companies like Raytheon Systems, an arms manufacturer bidding for Government contracts and Enron, the failed energy multinational which is the subject of a huge financial scandal. Lobbying companies with clients that include Rupert Murdoch's News International, Tesco and Scottish Power also feature heavily.

In September 1999 an opinion poll (ICM) found that 52% of people thought that Tony Blair did not care enough about Labour's traditional working class supporters. Almost the same amount thought Blair paid too much attention to rich people who give Labour large donations.

In another poll the month before, only 26% of workers said they believed that management and employees were 'on the same side' (Joseph Rowntree Foundation study). In a country where 55% of the population consider themselves to be working class (ICM poll), Blair's 1999 speech to the CBI that he is 'proud to be pro-business' places him very squarely in opposition to those same workers.

According to one of his former aides, Tony Blair is almost boyishly impressed - even wide-eyed - in the company of rich businessmen. Perhaps that is why he boasts that, even after the Fairness at Work legislation, British law was 'the most restrictive on Trade Unions in the Western world'.

When Peter Mandelson was Trade and Industry Secretary, he told the CBI that his brief from Blair was 'to act as a vocal and tenacious advocate of the needs of wealth creation and business'. His replacement, Stephen Byers told the House of Commons in March 1999 that he was 'putting the interests of business first'.

Each person or company on the list has a picture and a brief description of who they are and what they do. You can then move on to find more in-depth information by clicking on their picture, which will take you to pages providing details about their company, business or personal history. You can also navigate between pages by clicking on the appropriate page number.

Where individuals are part of the networks of power and influence woven around Tony Blair's New Labour Party, you can follow links which will take you through the trail of interconnections that runs through the site. If at any time you want to move to another section of the site, you can use the top navigation bar.

The Donors

• Enron

Donors and Sponsors for 2001

With the introduction of the Electoral Commission in February 2001, there is now much more access to the details of large donations to the Labour Party. Conversely, some of the really big donors appear to have rushed to get their money in before they needed to be listed, so the figures are unusually small for a pre-election period. The details of some of these 'missing' donors were released in September 2001.

• Lord Sainsbury The biggest donor of the year was Lord David Sainsbury, who gave £2 million to the Labour Party in January 2001, and again in December 2001, making a total of £9 million in 5 years.

Donors in March 2001

Jonathan Altaras (celebrity agent) Gave £1,500 William Bottreill (recruitment company S3) Gave £2,000 Lord Chris Haskins Gave £10,000 Graham Jones Gave £5,050 Alexandra Marks (Partner at Linklaters law firm) Gave £1,300 Joan Morgan Gave £4,000 Lord Joel Joffe Gave £10,000 Christopher Ondaatje Gave £1,200 Lord Swarj Paul Gave £10,000 Alec Reed Gave £10,000 John Reynolds Gave £4,000 Vanni Treves Gave £1,600 David Yallop Gave £2,000 Engineering and Maritime Training Authority Gave £5,875 Law Business Research Ltd Gave £1,500 Richalis Ltd (software ccompany) Gave £8,000 Robert Wann Gave £5,000 Ruobal Properties Ltd (landlords) Gave £4,000 UPS (UK) Ltd Gave £17,625 PriceWaterhouseCoopers (as workers' salaries) Gave £22,958

Sponsors in 2001

Scottish Power Gave £1,500 (February) Bloomberg Gave £11,548 (May)

Services in kind

Peoples Ltd (car dealers) Gave £2,000 (June) QSP Ltd (web hosting) Gave £8,000 (March)

Donors in May 2001

Alan Sugar Gave £200,000 Sir Sigmund Sternberg Gave £100,000 Geraldine Jeffrey Gave £12,000 Charles Peel Gave 6-figure sum Gerry Robinson Gave £20,000 Ruth Harding Gave £6,000 Tim Waterstone Gave £12,000 Lakshmi Mittal Gave £125,000 Christopher Ondaatje Gave £100,000 Michael Frayn, writer Gave £10,000

Vanni Treves Vanni Treves Chairman of Equitable Life, Chairman of Channel 4 Gave £1,600

David Yallop David Yallop Millionaire author and journalist Gave £2,000

Lord Haskins Lord Chris Haskins Chairman, Northern Foods and Express Dairies Gave £10,000

John Reynolds John Reynolds Co-Head of European Utilities at Credit Suisse First Boston bank. Gave £4,000

Bill Bottriell Bill Bottriell Director of Solutions in Staffing & Software Gave £2,000

Richard Williams Richard Williams Managing Director, Richalis Ltd Gave £8,000

Christopher Ondaatje Christopher Ondaatje Former banker who gave £2 million in 2000 Gave £101,200

Sponsors in 2001 Scottish Power Gave £1,500 (February) Bloomberg Gave £11,548 (May)

Services in kind Peoples Ltd (car dealers) Gave £2,000 (June) QSP Ltd (web hosting) Gave £8,000 (March) Alec Reed Alec Reed Chairman of Reed Executive Gave £10,000

Lakshmi Mittal Lakshmi Mittal Billionaire CEO of Ispat International Gave £125,000

Alan Sugar Alan Sugar Chairman of Amstrad and Executive Chairman of Viglen Ltd Gave £200,000

Sir Sigmund Sternberg Sir Sigmund Sternberg Chairman of Isys plc Gave £100,000

Charles Peel Charles Peel Chairman of City stockbrokers, Peel Hunt

Dr David Potter

Chairman of Psion, computer manufacturers. Gave £90,000

Donors in June 2001 Tom Hunter Gave £100,000 Gulam Noon Gave £100,000 James Boyle Gave £5,500 Sir Ronald Cohen Gave £100,000 Len Collinson Gave £6,600 Tony and Rita Gallagher Gave £9,999.98 Lord Haskel Gave £6,000 Eddie Izzard Gave £10,000 Lord Mitchell Gave £25,000 Dr David Potter (Psion) Gave £90,000 Euan Snowie (Snowie Group) Gave £5,000 Tom Hunter Tom Hunter Made £252 million by selling Sports Division in 1998. Gave £100,000

Snowie Group Euan Snowie Snowie Group. Director of Stirling County rugby club Gave £5,000

Peter Gilman Peter Gilman Chairman of GMI Holdings and Thorpe Park (Leeds) Gave £5,000 GMI Holdings (Peter Gilman) Gave £5,000 Sukhbinder SW Sandha Gave £10,000 Moni Varma Gave £10,000 Martin Webb Gave £1,500 Sunil Wickremeratne Gave £6,000 Richard Wilson (actor) Gave £6,500 Peter Thompson Gave £20,000 Lord Taylor Gave £2,000 Ballathie Estates Gave £25,000 Castle Point Heating & Gas Gave £6,500 CBA Enterprises Gave £2,500 De Brus Marketing Services Gave £3,000 Esson Properties Ltd Gave £5,000 Peter Thompson Peter Thompson Chairman of the Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board Gave £20,000

Veetee Rice Moni Varma Managing Director of the Veetee Rice company Gave £10,000

Wales and West Passenger Trains Wales and West Passenger Trains

Gave £1,500 Wales and West Passenger Trains Gave £1,500 John McInespie (lawyer) Gave £6,634 Brian Abbs (author) Gave £1,931.17 Fiona Bell (actress) Gave £7,000 Texacan Trousers Gave £2,000 Mirror Group Newspapers Gave £5,000 Maurice Millward (former Chairman of Millward Brown) Gave £1,500 Leo Abse & Cohen (solicitors) Gave £2,100 Highgate Beds Gave £2,000 Delta Cloud Ltd Gave £2,000 Westmere Ltd Gave £2,000 Other donors include: John O'Farrell (writer), Mr T Cooper, Richard Hunt, A Patel, Hannah Reed, Mr T Suliaman, Giles Wright. Mirror Group Newspapers Mirror Group Newspapers

Gave £5,000

Leonard Collinson Leonard Collinson Former Chairman, Newsco Publications. Director, Collinson Grant Group

Dr Paul Drayson Dr Paul Drayson Chief Executive of Powderject, a pharmaceutical company. Gave £50,000

Donors in July/August 2001 Bloomberg UK plc Gave £17,625 Brunswick Gave £9,000 GMI Holdings (Peter Gilman) Gave £2,000 Sanderson Knight Properties Gave £1,500 Wiggins Group Gave £8,000 Dr Paul Drayson Gave £50,000 Cormac Hollingsworth (bond trader) Gave £2,000 Mohamed Ramzan Gave £2,000 Mrs C.D. Woodward Gave £10,000 H. Ennis Gave £3,000 Brunswick Brunswick Group International PR firm Gave £9,000

Wiggins Group The Wiggins Group Property developers Gave £8,000

Peter Coates Peter Coates Lindley Catering Investments Gave £25,000

Donors in September 2001 British Airways Gave £1,450 DLA Partners Gave £11,050 Independent News and Media Gave £25,000 Compaq Computers Ltd Gave £7,500 Lindley Catering Investments (Peter Coates) Gave £25,000 SEEBOARD plc Gave £8,700 Fiona Bell Gave £3,366 Christopher Ondaatje Gave £1,500 Russell Sullman, East London dentist Gave £1,500 DLA DLA Partners Top Ten law firm Gave £11,500

Airtours plc Airtours plc Gave £6,000

Peel Holdings Peel Holdings plc Property development company, owners of the Trafford Centre and the Manchester Ship Canal Gave £5,287

Donors or Sponsors in Nov/Dec 2001 Lord David Sainsbury Gave £1,000,000 Airtours plc Gave £6,000 DLA Corporate Advisory Ltd Gave £5,554 Citigate Westminster Gave £16,161 Ortivus UK Ltd Gave £5,875 Peel Holdings plc Gave £5,287 Vauxhall Motors Ltd Gave £7,050 Charles Peel Gave £50,000 Ortivus UK Ortivus UK Ltd Swedish medical manufacturer's UK branch Gave £5,875

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors Car manufacturers Gave £7,050

Barbara Follett Barbara Follett

Gave £3,000 Sally Tan Gave £10,000 Barbara Follett Gave £3,000 Mr D. Barker Gave £1,750 D. Clayton-Jones Gave £2,000 Christopher Ondaatje Gave £1,000

1999 Donors

Felix Dennis Felix Dennis Chairman, Dennis Publishing (computer and lifestyle magazines like Maxim). He is worth £200 million.

1999 Donors Felix Dennis is the Chairman of Dennis Publishing. He is worth £250 million. Dennis Publishing produces lifestyle magazines like Maxim and four of the seven top-selling computer magazines.

Robert Bourne is a property developer and Chairman of Clubhaus, a golf club business with clubs in the UK, Germany and Spain. He heads Legacy, 'preferred bidder' to buy the Dome and is married to Sally Greene, former actress and theatre impressario. She is Managing Director of the Old Vic Theatre in London.

Peter J. Thompson is Chairman of the Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board. Robert Bourne Robert Bourne. Property developer. Director of Clubhaus, a golf club business. Gave £100,000 in 1999

Peter J. Thompson Peter J. Thompson. Hong Kong-based businessman. Gave £15,000 in 1999.

Sally Greene Sally Greene. Former actress and theatre impressario. Robert Murray is a Director of Sunderland FC and a former Director of FKI, Chairman of Sterling Capitol plc, the Sovereign Capital Corporation and Omega International Group plc. His personal wealth is estimated at £30 million.

Caparo Industries is owned by one of New Labour's favourite businessmen, Lord Paul. He sits on the Competitiveness working Party: Promoting The Best Of Best Practice and the West Midlands Regional Competitiveness Working Party.

Citygrove Leisure is a London-based property development company, involved in the multi-million pound development of retail and entertainment complexes. The Chief Executive and Chairman of Citygrove is David Woolf, known as the "Grandfather of the Retail Park Industry". Robert Murray Robert Murray. Chairman, Sunderland FC. Ex-Director, FKI (international engineering group). Personal wealth £30 million.

Lord Paul Caparo Group. Steel and engineering holding company owned by Lord Paul. Gave £101,000 in 1998.

citygrove leisure Citygrove Leisure. London-based property delelopers, run by David Woolf. Gave £5,000 in 1999. Stephen Barclay is an Executive Director of Talisman House, a holding company for financial service companies. His salary and bonuses came to £151,066 in 1999.

Peter Gilman is a former director of Leeds FC, who made £5.5 million from selling the club. He is the Chairman of Thorpe Park (Leeds) Ltd, a huge new "business park" being built just outside Leeds. The business park is aimed at call centres and is the site of the National Grid HQ.

next page go to the next page Talisman House Stephen Barclay. Chairman of Talisman House, a holding company for financial service companies.

Peter Gilman Peter Gilman. Ex-director of Leeds FC. Construction businessman, boss of GMI Rovinian.