Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories

No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW < Representing their 500k workers rather loosely then!

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @wdjstraw: No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @wdjstraw: No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @wdjstraw: No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @tom_watson RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW <-bound to have come out

RT @jamescowley: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW >> (cont) http://tl.gd/muleh

RT @samknight Tax letter business leaders 'gave £500,000 to Tories' http://tinyurl.com/yca94fk #sameoldtories

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Gosh what a surprise! RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW <-bound to have come out

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW <-bound to have come out

Tax letter business leaders 'gave £500,000 to Tories' http://tinyurl.com/yca94fk

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW <-bound to have come out

RT @politicshomeuk: Tax letter business leaders 'gave £500,000 to Tories' http://tinyurl.com/yca94fk

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @politicshomeuk: Tax letter business leaders 'gave £500,000 to Tories' http://tinyurl.com/yca94fk < talk about backing the right horse

RT @wdjstraw: No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @BevaniteEllie: RT @wdjstraw: No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

5 of them have associations with the Tories, then. Out of 23.

And you consider this news-worthy?

RT @wdjstraw: No wonder they signed up RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW <-bound to have come out

And I wonder how much Lord Sainsbury has given to the Labour party ?

Didn’t Brown set up an advisory business panel with several of the names on the letter

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

So what?

And, of course, Anthony Bamford has also been a leading light in the shadowy Midlands Industrial Council.

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

All the little twitoids scampering off to tell teacher.

So how much did Lord Sainsbury give to the Labour Party, wasn’t he also a Science Minister?

And the other 18 business leaders?

As for Labour counter-attack, I see that lasted as long as the Charge of Light Brigade. Twitter that.

How much did Lord Sainsbury give labour

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Can’t win the argument, so attack the messengers personally.
Labour = desperation.

RT @BenCooper86: RT @politicshomeuk: Tax letter business leaders 'gave £500,000 to Tories' http://tinyurl.com/yca94fk #sameoldtories

Stuart Rose has been seen at recent Tory fundraisers. Choudery’s company (Bestway) has givcen £89k to the Tories, £30k to Labour & £6k to the LibDems.

@bbcnews Why are you not reporting this: http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/04/tax-letter-business-leaders-gave-500k-to-tories/

PR Week (14/10/09) reported that the Tories were planning to give Stuart Rose a peerage.

Totally not surprised.

Cameron thinks he can pay for this by “efficiencies”, when I seem to remember George deriding the use of efficiency for things like this?

At any rate, this pledge alone will cost billions, and I somehow doubt that efficiencies alone would save enough money to pay for this pledge, let alone the rest of Cameron’s tax policy.

And I seem to remember Branson, who I believe has also signed the letter being a non-dom?

Not to mention Sir Stuart Rose being 1 of 2 chief execs at MNS!

Will I think you have put your left foot in your mouth.

They didn’t sign a letter supporting Tory policy as good for their businesses because they had given half a million pounds. They gave half a million pounds to support the Tories because they believe Tory policies are good for their business and provide a better environment for them to flourish, entirely consistent with their letter.

This is exactly the same reason that one of the people commenting Charlie Whelan and his Unite union fund Labour, because they believe that Labour provides a better environment for militant trade unions to flourish, entirely consistent with them placing Jack Dromey into a safe Labour seat and Gordon Brown refusing to support the BA staff who went to work during a totally unjustified strike.

What a terrific own goal!

RT @wdjstraw: It gets worse RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including co's run by tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @wdjstraw: It gets worse RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including co's run by tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

@wdjstraw It gets worse RT @leftfootfwd: re Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW << great work guys ! dig dig dig…

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

hope these 'business leader' donations make it into the news http://bit.ly/bi18Z3 @krishgm

LFF are only scratching the surface with their list. You need to look at the companies.

Aggregate Industries (Bolsover)have donated £100k, JCB (Bamford), £734k Harris Ventures (Lord Harris) a stunning £1.186 million. That’s £2 million without trying. And I haven’t time to go through the whole list…

Quelle surprise! From Left Foot Forward: Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://bit.ly/9GpolP

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW << what a surprise(!)

RT @wdjstraw: It gets worse RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including co's run by tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories: http://bit.ly/ajXcKW < including their firms it is actually £5 million!

Southeastern Trains donated £2 million. Then removed safety critical station staff the day after the crash in Brussels with Eurostar due to no safety critical staff.
All a great big ol’ boys club keeping each other sweet.

Missed a few Will:

Aggregate Industries – £50k
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2010/02/conservatives-raised-more-than-twice-as-much-money-as-labour-in-the-final-quarter-of-2009.html

Jonathan Marland (ex director, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and ex tory treasurer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Marland,_Baron_Marland

Lord Harris of Peckham (Tory Peer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Harris,_Baron_Harris_of_Peckham

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Tory Adviser – New Enterprise Council)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelios_Haji-Ioannou

Mitchell & Butlers have received substantial investment from Mr Tchenguiz a Tory donor

Whitbread Tory donors
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/whitbread-chiefs-pay-lifted-14-to-471000-pounds-1424921.html

Bestway Cash and Carry – support Dominic Grieve
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10243

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

It gets worse RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including co's run by tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Some of these businessmen have also donated to Labour, just like Alan Sugar

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including co's run by tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @wdjstraw: It gets worse RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including co's run by tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Nice to see the corrupt face of the Tory party shining through. Using their donors to back their NI pledge in a newspaper that has traditionally supported the Tory party. Democracy is alive and well I see. It’s all smoke and mirrors with the tory party.

Labour even took a donation from Enron!!!

http://www.red-star-research.org.uk/subframe3.html

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

I like the idea that we should take economic advice from one of board members of Lehman Brothers, who sat on the banks Audit Committee right up to its collapse (step forward Chris Gent, who signed this letter)

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Having a bad day lads? News cycle not going as planned?

So what if they have donated to the Tories? Do you guys make a fuss when Unions hand over millions to Labour to push their special interests? No, of course not.

There is a real stench of desperation from Labour on this issue. How long will it be before some minister overtly attacks theses businesses? We all know the Left detest wealth creation – even though they are addicted to spending it.

Seeing Mandelscum, Zippy and Virgil trot out the same old crap at that press conference this morning was at once hilarious, and profoundly desperate. They were wrong footed, and they know it.

Roll on the election.

RT @tom_watson: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW <-bound to have come out

Cameron directly took gifts from JCB (JCB Research) and Lord Harris (and Harris Ventures Limited)
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/100324/100324.pdf

Ollie at least the unions tend to act in the interest of workers, even if I don’t really like it when they take industrial action.

And unlike some people union members pay UK taxes…

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/04/tax-letter-business-leaders-gave-500k-to-tories/

So, say eight of the companies have Tory links. Care to explain why the heads of fifteen major British firms think Labour’s plans are bad news?

Mr. Sensible: shareholders are people too. They pay taxes trough the companies they own, and also on capital gains and dividends. If the unions stick up for workers’ interests, why shouldn’t management stick up for shareholders’ interests? For the sake of declaring my interest, I write as a shareholder, albeit not one whom anyone reasonable would call super-rich.

Of course, you’re ignoring the £12.5m donated by Lord Sainsbury, Justin King’s boss.

That makes this £2.5m donated to the Tories look like small change.

http://bit.ly/a3TLO5

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @jamescowley: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £500k to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW >> (cont) http://tl.gd/muleh

Oh, it’s terrible that some people who think Tory policy is right make a contribution to the party?
Meanwhile David Sainsbury has given over £15m to the Labour Party and coincidentally it has changed Planning Legislation, against the advice of the independent advice from the Commission set up to advise it, in a way that significantly helps Sainsbury plc

The fact remains this pledge is unfunded, and the tory tax policy altogether is going to mean cuts, cuts, cuts.

That’s the bred and butter of it.

I’m sure that those retailers would prefer an increase in VAT, wouldn’t they.

All this re-tweeting. Clearly Call-Me-Dave has caused the socialists to crap their pants.

Heaven forbid Dave comes out with a 2nd policy – there would be total anal-meltdown in Islington.

………..anyway – I thought Boy-George-Osborne was supposed to be the weak link?

At the moment he appears to be giving Labour a 2nd damned good kicking (the first obviously causing Gordon to bottle the election that never was).

I think the point is that a lot of these supposedly independent businessmen have given money or have links with the Conservative party. Cutting camera-on comes on TV and says this a defining moment but this is just tory spin, the real headline should be “Shock horror: Tory supporters, support a Tory policy” or “Tories prefer to cut business taxes and public services”

RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

Billy Blofeld, do you just follow the articles on this website to jump in and show you’re more of a tory lap dog then the rest of the tory blogosphere? Does eric pickles give you sweets when you perform a task well?

You should get out more…

@Steven M

No – do you? I only comment on the interesting articles on LFF.

I’m not a Tory.

I’d like to give Eric Pickles a slap – the Heir-To-Prescott. To be fair, I’d like to give Prescott a much bigger slap.

P.S. I am amused to see you can get your knickers so easily in a twist.

Right – I’m finishing work now and I’m off to the pub. Night ladies.

RT @thedancingflea: RT @leftfootfwd: UPDATE: Including companies run by Telegraph tax letter signatories, total Tory donation is £2.5m http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @oranjd RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

RT @oranjd: RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

'Tory donors agree with Tory policies' shock http://bit.ly/9dIFC4

As always the Mandlebum-lickers try to exaggerate anything anti-Tory into a smear campaign and sweep their own corruption under the carpet.
The fact that Brown, himself, called NIC a “tax on jobs” is, also, blithely forgotten. Source: Hansard.

‘ Any Colour but Brown’, I don’t think anyone likes putting up taxes, but we have to be realistic; those same Tories have lectured us about the need to cut debt.

The fact is that those retailers oppose this, yet 1 of the alternatives would be to increase VAT. Would they rather that?

Seems the Bamford family (& JCB companies) have alone given the Tories around £2.75 million. And that excludes their donations to the Midlands Industrial Council & Shadow Cabinet ministers’ offices.

RT @leftfootfwd: Tax letter business leaders gave £2.5m to Tories http://bit.ly/ajXcKW

If you look at the full list of companies that signed the letter to the Telegraph most are in retail, most employ part time just above minimum wage. So how can they claim it will be a tax on jobs when the threshold for paying the increase NI will be 20k.

” most employ part time just above minimum wage…..”

Aaahhh here is the REAL reason why the Left are so bitter over this story. The cracks are beginning to show – and the Old Left’s detestation of private business, enterprise, wealth creation, etc, etc, etc are here for all to see.

Brilliant news for the Tories that Labour are going back to their stone age roots.

By the way, where is MaCavity hiding? Trouble brewing for his party, and here we are again, the PM of this country is nowhere to be seen or heard – like the snivelling, gutless sham that he is.

I cannot wait to see Brown’s three year long delusion come to a spectacular end.

“john” says “… most employ part time just above minimum wage. So how can they claim it will be a tax on jobs when the threshold for paying the increase NI will be 20k.”
Because IT WILL BE. Your remark however would refute the claim by many bloggers that they are doing it out of self-interest IF IT WAS TRUE.
Elementary economics says that once the price of producing goods rises above the price at which rivals sell competing goods a firm cannot sell them profitably: unless it has another line of highly profitable goods which it can use to cross-subsidise (hoping the EU regulator doesn’t notice) it has to reduce costs by sacking people. You can stop paying dividends but you can only operate at a loss up to the point where you have so nearly exhausted shareholders’ capital that costs of closing down (including statutory redundancy payments) will wipe out what is left.

Don’t yer love it? The Tories have announced that Osborne’s NI plan is backed by the Chairman of Alliance Boots….the company who hired as CEO the guy who screwed up HBOS & cost we taxpayers zillions of pounds.

John the fact that most of them are in retail is half my point; would they rather pay extra VAT?

BTW, I notice listening to the news tonight that Ian Waterstone is swimming against the tide on this. As soon as I can find a link to a news story about that I’ll post it here.
Ah, Henry, Boots; the company that are evidently so anti-regeneration in Nottingham through wanting to scrap the Workplace Parking Levy.

BTW, is this the most commented article LFF has had, Will?

[...] the significance of this support for Osborne and co and whether voters will be swayed by it, or by the pre-existing funding links between the business leaders and the Tories, no-one seems to be too bothered about how [...]

[...] Original Article: http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/04/tax-letter-business-leaders-gave-500k-to-tories/ [...]

This smacks of capitalism fighting back and all progressives must unite rebutting this. I would like to know whether any of these bosses supported the minimum wage. I also notice that the signatories were too scared to defend their position on TV.

Most importantly, the signatories did not say how an increase in VAT (which is what they support by default) would impact on the poor.

I am not impressed neither am I supprised that big business support the Tories.

chengetai whilst I agree with you I think we need to be careful; the Tories have denied that they will increase VAT, even though we know that’s what will happen.

Revealed donations to Tories by business leaders who oppose 1% cut in N.I http://tiny.cc/idmhv

#fighters Donations to Tory party by business leaders who oppose 1% cut in N.I revealed http://tiny.cc/idmhv

Revealed donations to Tories by business leaders who oppose 1% cut in N.I #fb http://tiny.cc/idmhv

I hope they keep giving. We need to get rid of this left wing nonsense from our country. If you want to start a recession keep increasing the public sector without improving its productivity. You commies just don’t get it!
1. Public Spending IS NOT the same as investment.
2. Reducing Taxes is not taking the money out of the economy.
3. Stop taxing our economy into a massive recession!

they also donated or paid over 60k to conservative members of parliament – including 8k to cameron and 45k to hague… http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/100324/100324.pdf

I find it amusing that a lot of the tory cheerleaders are yet to realise that they are taking a real battering in the polls over this NI issue.

Mandelson, Brown aren’t that stupid. They’ve been trying to pick this fight on purpose. Brown could have easily left it alone. He was back on at it yesterday. Trying to bait business.

Why?

Latest Sun Poll yesterday suggests that 48% of the electorate disagree with cutting NI. Amazing but true.

Only 28% back the policy.

Guardian poll. 70% of people would prefer NI to be raised instead of VAT.

Tory poll lead has plummeted from 10% to 5% in 4 days over this. The more corporate fat cats that back Cameron, the worse it gets.

Queue Dave snivelling in his press conference for Brown “to stop fighting with business leaders”.

He knows full well the conequences of it all. They are losing support.

“2. Reducing Taxes is not taking the money out of the economy.”

Nicholas. A quick lesson in economics.

Cameron’s prime complaint with NI is that it will stop people hiring, cut the amount of jobs in the economy, and cut the number of tax payers. As well as raise benefit payments.

A hit to the economy.

Cameron’s hapless plan? Cut 8% of all public sector job!? That’s 600’000 jobs in less than a year supposedly.

600’000 less tax payers
600’000 more people claiming benefit.

Huge amounts of money taken out of the economy

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