Now nightclub mogul dances to Tessa’s tune
THere is further indignity f or the Liberal Democrats f ollowing their humiliating wipeout at the General election. One of their few highprofile peers is lending his back- ing to a Labour candidate at the forthcoming London Mayoral contest.
Ministry of Sound nightclub mogul Lord (James) Palumbo, who took the Lib Dem whip in the Lords in 2013, has thrown his support, and considerable influence, behind Dame Tessa Jowell’s bid to succeed Boris Johnson in November.
I understand Palumbo has already pledged a hefty sum of money to her campaign to win the Labour nomination. On top of a cash donation, he will also allow her campaign team to camp out at the Ministry of Sound during August, as they co-ordinate Jowell’s attempts to beat her main rival Sadiq Khan to the Labour candidacy.
What Lord Palumbo’s Liberal colleagues make of the generous gesture to their Labour rival remains to be seen. The Lib Dems’ current list of candidates for London Mayor are admittedly hardly an inspiring bunch, with London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, a complete non-entity outside political circles, expected to win selection.
However, Pal u mbo’s allegiance to the former Culture Secretary is thought to go way back. He asked her to officially reopen Ministry of Sound’s studios two years ago, and even referred to her as his ‘dear friend’ during his maiden speech to the Lords, in which he praised her efforts in helping organise the 2012 Olympics.
Palumbo, who has donated around £1 million to the Liberals in the past few years, is something of a mixed bag when it comes to politics. His father, former Arts Council chairman Peter — from whom he is estranged after a longrunning family feud — is a Tory peer and he himself was once a guest at the Conservative summer party in 2008. And, as well as Jowell, he is also friendly with Labour’s former First Secretary of State Lord Mandelson, whom he generously lent the use of a chauffeurdriven car during the 1997 election.
When asked about the matter, Palumbo’s spokesman says: ‘Ministry of Sound takes a huge interest in London elections and has supported a number of campaigns over the years. All donations are declared in the appropriate way.’