Ian Taylor (British businessman)
Contents
Background
Ian Taylor is President and Chief Executive of Vitol a conglomerate of oil and energy companies which he has served for 20 years[1]. Taylor is also reported as a donor to Tory leader David Cameron and Tory Business Secretary Alan Duncan.
Funding the UK Tory Party
In 2008, Taylor is reported to have donated more that £50,000 to David Cameron, which automatically includes him as a member of Cameron's Leaders Group where he has the opportunity to meet the Tory leader in person through meetings and events[2].
Taylor was also reported (in 2008) as a donor to Alan Duncan, the Tory Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform[3]. Taylor and Duncan have a long history together since they were colleagues at Shell and remain close friends. It is claimed that millionaire Duncan 'made part of his fortune by brokering a deal between Vitol and Pakistan during the Gulf war'. Duncan's company, Harcourt Consultants, continued to do work for Vitol in Pakistan until around 1997.[4]. Donations to Cabinet members from companies that have direct interests in their policy portfolios has been criticised as concealing a conflict of interest, a claim the Tories have regarded as "utter nonsense".[5].
With effect of April 2008, Duncan is also on the Board of Arawak Energy Ltd[6]which is a 41% owned subsidiary of Vitol (of which Taylor is President & CEO). In December 2008, Vitol announced its offer to buy Arawak in its entirety through Vitol subsidiary Rosco[7]. So Duncan, who is Shadow Business Secretary with influence on business policy, benefits financially from Vitol on 2 levels: through personal donations from the company's President & CEO (who also happens to be a close friend) and also through renumeration for his involvement on the Board of its subsidiary. It's hard to imagine how this scenario can present anything but a conflict of interests!
Dinner at Downing Street with the Camerons
- See Powerbase page on Downing Street Dinner Guest List published by the government in March 2012
Affiliations
Resources
- Gordon Rayner, Cash for access: The Tory donor who profited from links with Libyan rebels, The Telegraph, 27 March 2012.
Notes
- ↑ Rambert Dance Company Board Members Ian Taylor Accessed 16th December 2008
- ↑ Dispatches 'Cameron's Money Men' Channel 4 Production. 29th September 2008
- ↑ UK Parliament Register of Interests 2008/2009 Accessed 16th December 2008
- ↑ Barnett, A. & Bright, M. (2001) Oil chief paid $1m to warlord' The Guardian. 1st July 2001. Accessed 16th December 2008
- ↑ Russell, B. (2008) Senior Shadow Cabinet figures in row over 'cash for influence' The Independent. 16th May 2008. Accessed 16th December 2008.
- ↑ Fox BusinessArawak announces appointment of Alan Duncan MP to the Board of Direcors Fox Business. 24th April 2008. Accessed 16th December 2008.
- ↑ Arawak Energy Arawak updates shareholders on Rosco offer process Arawak Energy News'. 15th December 2008. Accessed 16th December 2008
