Pivotal Tory donor cancels donation
By politics.co.uk staff
Lord Laidlaw, one of the Conservative’s biggest and most important donors, has quit his donations to the party.
The decision was taken so he could resolve “issues” over tax.
Lord Lailow operates from Monaco. His decision comes as it becomes increasingly likely the government will insert plans to force peers to be UK resident for tax purposes into the constitutional renewal bill.
The businessman is understood to have donated £3 million to the Tories in 2007 alone.
Shadow Scottish secretary David Mundell said: “He has decided he is not donating to political parties for his own reasons until he has sorted out his tax issues.
“He has given us prior notice that that is his intention.”
He continued: “Mr Mundell said: “It is widely known that Lord Laidlaw has stepped back, and is not currently taking up his seat in the House of Lords, until issues he has with HM Revenue and Customs are resolved.”
Lord Laidlow came in for unprecedented criticism by the Lords appointments committee in 2007 for failing to give up his tax exile status – an “assurance” he had given when he was ennobled in 2004.
The Sunday Times Rich List put his worth at £730 million last year, ranking him 101 in the country.
