Blair's Secret Donors Exposed
The Sunday Times, November 17th, 1996
Tony Blair with Jewish moneyman Lord
Levy
Tony Blair is receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds in
undisclosed donations through a private account despite the Labour
party's commitment to openness about its funding. A Sunday Times
investigation has discovered some of Britain's richest tycoons have
given donations under an arrangement made by Blair's office to
disguise their identities.
They include Sir Trevor Chinn, chairman of Britain's biggest motor
dealers who was knighted by the Tories, and Sir Emmanuel Kaye, a
multi-millionaire… The fund… is being used to help pay
Blair's staff and other private expenses. No trace of the donations
appears in the labour party's accounts… The Labour Leader's
Office Fund is particularly mysterious. It was established about a
year ago and was manged by Blick Rothenburg, a City accountancy
firm.
Michael Goldstein, a partner in Blick Rothenburg, who looked after
the fund, said, 'I really don't now anything about it. Where did you
get our name from'?…
David Rothenburg, the firm's senior tax partner, was in Israel
this weekend and unavailable for comment.
Many of the donors are pillars of the British establishment and
have long and distinguished entries in Who's Who… Alex
Bernstein, former chairman of Granada… is understood to have
donated… Bob Gavron, a publishing millionaire who has publicly
donated directly to the Labour party, has also given £35,000 to
Blair's private office.
Chinn, 61, is chairman of Lex Service and President of the Joint
Israel Appeal, Britain's biggest fundraising charity for
Israel…
The Labour Leader's Office Fund was set up last year by Jonathan
Powell, Blair's chief of staff and brother of Sir Charles Powell, an
aide to Margaret Thatcher… Blair is understood to have wanted to
develop a source of finance that would give him independence from the
Labour party… to help pay for his private office…
Labour has made great play of its new policy of declaring all
donations of more than £5,000 to the party, and has challenged
the Tories to come clean on their sources of funding.
Cherie Blair, wife of Tony,
adressing the Jewish National Fund
"Supporting Israel for Life"
