LABOUR IS ON
THE Tories face fresh sleaze allegations after it emerged MPs and the party have taken almost £1.5million in donations from the energy industry under Boris Johnson.
The Prime Minister has been warned his climate crisis credentials lie in tatters as his party has been “swimming in oil and gas money” since he took power.
An analysis of Electoral Commission records shows donations stretching back to 2019 linking the party with oil and gas magnates.
It comes as consumers are braced for massive hikes in their energy bills and as the PM attempts to lead efforts for the world to tackle climate change at the COP26 summit, while facing a flurry of sleaze claims levelled at his MPs since the resignation of Owen Paterson.
Anneliese Dodds, chairwoman of the Labour Party, said: “Boris Johnson needs to show some leadership and put an end to the sleaze running rampant through his party and the cash-for-access culture at the heart of his Government.
“Conservative MPs pocketing millions from vested interests can’t be acting in the national interest. It’s not a good look for the Prime Minister to claim commitment on moving past fossil fuels, but at the same time his own party is swimming in oil and gas money.We need a Government that puts people and planet first, not one that thinks there’s one rule for the Conservative Party and another for everyone else.”
Donors to the Tories include Alexander Temerko, the Russian-born owner of Aquind. The energy boss and his company handed various MPs, including former Cabinet ministers Liam Fox and Jeremy Hunt, and the current Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke, and the party, more than £350,000.
Aquind plans to build a £1.2billion energy pipeline under the English Channel and Mr Temerko was spotted sitting with COP26 President Alok Sharma at this year’s exclusive Black and White Ball, a fundraiser for the Conservative Party.
Ian Taylor, the chief executive of Vitol, who reportedly turned down a knighthood offered by former PM David Cameron, has also handed the party some £115,000 since 2019. The company is a major trader and supplier of North Sea crude oil.
Weeks before the general election in 2019, Mercantile & Maritime gave the party some £500,000. The commodities trading firm was founded by oil broker and billionaire Murtaza Lakhani.
Matthew Ferrey, part of an elite group of Tory donors and a former executive with oil trader Vitol, has given the party £675,000. It includes £15,000 to an indi