Richard Desmond
Richard Desmond is the founder of Northern & Shell, who own magazines, newspapers and TV channels in the UK.
Contents
Career
In 1974 Desmond founded Northern & Shell and began to publish music magazine International Musician and Recording World. In 1993 N&S launched OK! Magazine; bought Express Newspapers from what is now United Business Media, run by Labour peer Lord Hollick; and in 2011 bought The Health Lottery.[1][2]
Northern & Shell currently own four newspapers - the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday - and celebrity magazines OK!; new!; and Star, is a 50 percent joint venture partner in the Irish Daily Star.[1] and own adult channels Television X and Red Hot.[3]
In 2010 N&G bought the UK's Channel 5 for £104.5 million. Desmond then put it up for sale in 2014 expecting to raise about £700 million; US media group Viacom bought it for £450 million.[4]
Politics
In April 2015 Desmond publicly pledged £1 million to the United Kingdom Independence Party. The story was on the front cover of his newspaper - Daily Express.
Desmond said:
- 'I am fed up with complacency and cronyism, and I’m fed up with the floppy-haired Eton club. I am also fed up with champagne socialists who just tell people what they want to hear'.
- 'Ukip is a thorn in their side. That is why I am doing this. I want them to carry on being a thorn in the side of the Tories and Labour.'[3]
Donations
Recorded by the Electoral Commission:[5]
| Date | Name of donor | Amount | Donated to | Subsidiary (parties only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/12/2014 | Northern & Shell Media Group Ltd | £300,000.00 | UK Independence Party (UKIP) Political Party | Central Party |
As of 17 April 2015, Desmond's £1 million donation has not been recorded by the Electoral Commission.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Northern and Shell About, accessed 17 April 2015.
- ↑ Richard Desmond: The demon proprietor of Fleet Street Independent, 25 October 2004, accessed 17 April 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rowen Mason Daily Express owner Richard Desmond hands Ukip £1m Guardian, 16 April 2015, accessed 17 April 2015.
- ↑ BBC News Viacom to buy Channel 5 for £450m, 1 May 2014, accessed 17 April 2015.
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Donation Search, accessed 17 April 2015
