Hand back £400k from donor who funds eco-warriors, Sir Keir told
PRESSURE is building on Sir Keir Starmer to return hundreds of thousands of pounds Labour received from a major backer of eco-zealots Just Stop Oil.
The Opposition leader was given £20,000 by the green energy firm founded by Dale Vince – a main funder of the activists.
His deputy Angela Rayner has also received £10,000 from Ecotricity while Labour has been given another £360,000 by the company since the last election campaign, analysis by Sky News revealed.
Yet despite taking the money from multimillionaire Mr Vince, who said he gave Just Stop Oil tens of thousands of pounds to get started, Sir Keir has branded the group ‘ wrong’ over its protests, which have included bringing the M25 to a standstill. Last night Nickie Aiken, vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, said: ‘These ecomobs cause misery for people going about their everyday lives which is why the Government is giving the police the powers they need to tackle them.
‘The principal money-man behind this group has made clear why he has been funnelling cash to Keir Starmer and Labour – because they share the same agenda. If Starmer really wants to stop this disruption he should stop opposing the changes to the law the public want to see, hand the money back and completely dissociate himself [from] these eco-zealots.’
And Red Wall Tory MP Mark Jenkinson added: ‘He tells voters he doesn’t agree with Just Stop Oil tactics, but he’s happy to take money from a man that funds those tactics.’
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Vince defended giving money to both Labour and direct action groups. He claimed: ‘Big business has different powers to pursue its agenda, and we have no real answer to that except sometimes to take to the streets.’
But he added: ‘I have disagreements with them from time to time. When they were smashing bank windows I did say publicly I didn’t think it was the right thing to do.’
Mr Vince said he had only spoken to Sir Keir twice and met him once, but added: ‘I think he’d be a great prime minister.’
A Labour source said: ‘We’re proud that donors old and new are backing Keir’s positive plans for change.’