Who's who: Donors who dined with David Cameron in No 10
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The Conservative Party has revealed the names of individuals who have given "significant" donations to the party and also met the prime minister for dinner. Who are they?
'Thank you' dinner at 10 Downing Street: 14 July 2010
The dinner was held while the prime minister's flat was undergoing refurbishment.
Sir Anthony and Lady Carole Bamford:Sir Anthony is the chairman of construction equipment business JCB. The 66-year-old was knighted in 1990. He regularly makes the Sunday Times rich list. This year, he saw his net worth reach £1.85bn. He and Lady Bamford live in Staffordshire but have homes all over the world. Lady Bamford runs Daylesford Organics and the fashion business Bamford & Sons. In 2010, Sir Anthony was reportedly in the running for a peerage, buthe told the Evening Standard, externalhe withdrew his name following an objection. He has given the Conservative Party more than £2m in donations since June 2006.
Michael and Dorothy Hintze:The 58-year-old Australian businessman Michael Hintze is - according to Forbes -the 913th richest billionaire in the world, external. The father-of-four owns his own hedge-fund - CQS - and has a multi-million pound property portfolio in Australia - although he is based in London. He is a former Australian army captain. He and his wife launched the Hintze Family Charitable Foundation six years ago and are reported to have given more than £20m to 150 causes. Mr Hintze has donated more than £1.2m to the Conservatives since June 2006.
Murdoch and Elsa Maclennan:Murdoch Maclennan is the chief executive of Telegraph Media Group (TMG). Before taking on that role, he was managing director at Associated Newspapers. He is considered to be one of the most influential UK newspaper bosses. According to figures registered with the Electoral Commission Mr Maclennan had given £23,925 since 2006. However on Tuesday, TMG issued a statement stressing that it was not a donor to the Conservative Party and had not been since 2004. It said the figures referred to in the report "arise from a return by the Conservative Party to the Electoral Commission" and only covered payment for exhibition fees including Telegraph branding and wi-fi at conferences. "They comprise the sums of £12,925 for the 2010 Conference in Birmingham and £11,000 for the Manchester Conference in 2011," it said.
Lord John and Lady Sainsbury:Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover is the president of supermarket chain J Sainsbury. The 84-year-old businessman sits in the House of Lords as a Tory Party member. The Tory Party has received £905,000 from the peer since June 2006.
Lord Feldman:The 45-year-old is co-chairman of the Conservative Party and chairman of the party's board. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford University, where he became friends with David Cameron. He was called to the bar in 1991. He later returned to his family's manufacturing company Jayroma where he became chief executive. He became Baron Feldman of Elstree in 2010. He has visited Chequers - the PM's official country residence - on several occasions. Lord Feldman has donated £74,270 since June 2006.
Sir Paul and Jill Ruddock:Sir Paul Ruddock is the co-founder and chief executive officer of London-based hedge fund Lansdowne Partners. He is also the chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He received his knighthood earlier this year for his services to the arts. Inan interview with the Telegraph in January, external, Sir Paul said his political donation had not brought him any influence. He is also a director of Alternative Investment Management Association, which he said had had interactions with the government on "economic matters". Jill Ruddock is a board member of the Donmar Warehouse theatre. The BBC was unable to find records of the exact donations given in Sir Paul's name or via his company.
Mike and Jenny Farmer:Michael Farmer, 69, took on the role of Conservative Party co-treasurer at the start of the month. The city financier founded RK Capital Management and was given the nickname "Mr Copper" after making his fortune in the international metal markets. A committed Christian, he is reported to have done a two-year course studying the Bible and wasquoted in the Daily Telegraph in 2010, externalas saying: "I get a lot of stick for being God squad. I don't mind that. But it's frustrating that critics can't see that secular atheism is a religion itself". Mr Farmer has donated more than £3m to the Conservatives since June 2006.
Michael and Clara Freeman:Mr Freeman is the co-founder of property developers Argent Group plc, while Mrs Freeman is a former director of Marks and Spencer. Both have their own charitable trust. Mr Freeman has donated £457,900 to the party since June 2006.
Lunch at Chequers: 7 November 2010
Fares Fares and his wife:Mr Fares is the director and executive vice president of investment company Wedge Group and chairman of Wedge Real Estate Holdings. Previously worked in New York for Oppenheimer & Company. He is on the boards of several private companies and charitable foundations. He is the founder of financial services company Wedge Alternatives Ltd. He is the son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Issam Michael Fares.
Dinner at Downing Street flat: 28 February 2011
David Rowland and his wife.In 2010, property multi-millionaire Mr Rowland turned down the job of Conservative Party co-treasurer after initially accepting the position. At the time he had been criticised over his former status as a tax exile. The 66-year-old became a millionaire at the age of 23 after forming his company Fordham shortly before. He does not court publicity. He and his wife previously had lunch at Chequers on 8 August 2010. David Rowland has given more than £4m to the Conservative Party and various Conservative Associations and MPs since June 2006.
Lord Feldman (see entry above)
'Social dinner' at Downing Street flat: 2 November 2011
This gathering was described as a "social dinner for strong and long term supporters of the party, with whom the PM has a strong relationship".
Henry and Dorothy Angest:Henry Angest is the chairman and chief executive of Arbuthnot Banking Group. He is also non-executive chairman of Secure Trust Bank Plc. He gave £5,000 to Michael Portillo during his Conservative leadership campaign in 2001 and £4,950 to Perth and North Perthshire Conservatives in 2010. He has given £1.5m to the Conservative Party since June 2006.
Michael Farmer and wife (see above entry)
Ian Taylor and wife:Ian Taylor is the president and chief executive of the world's largest oil trader Vitol. He has been involved in the oil business for more than 30 years. Mr Taylor has donated £555,100 to the party since June 2006.
'Social dinner' at Downing Street flat: 27 February 2012
Michael Spencer and partner:Mr Spencer was co-treasurer of the Conservative Party between 2006 and 2010. He is the chairman of the Conservative Foundation - an organisation set up to support the party's financial future. He read physics at Corpus Christi, Oxford University and is the chairman and chief executive of financial transactions company Icap - a business with a multi-billion pound turnover. Mr Spencer and his partner also had lunch at Chequers on 31 May 2010. He has given £173,000 to the party since June 2006.
Other meetings at Chequers
As well as those mentioned above, other Conservative Party treasurers who have had lunch at Chequers include former treasurer Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft and incumbent Howard Leigh and their respective wives.
Lord Ashcroft and wife:Lord Ashcroft -who has donated more than £10m to the party - visited Chequers for lunch on 6 June 2010. In December 2005 he became deputy chairman of the Tory party - a role he gave up in September 2010. He became a life peer in 2000 and was credited with helping to rescue the party's finances. In March 2010, he revealed he was not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes. Lord Ashcroft made his first million at the age of 31 when he sold a cleaning company he had bought with a £15,000 loan five years earlier. Lord Ashcroft has given the party more than £4.3m since 2006.
Howard Leigh and wife:The couple visited Chequers for lunch on 6 February 2011. Mr Leigh is also the chairman of the party's The Leader's Group. This organisation gives donors the chance to join Mr Cameron and other senior Tory party figures at events. He is also a senior partner at finance company Cavendish. Mr Leigh has donated to the party via his company Cavendish Corporate Finance. He has given the central Conservative Party more than £77,000 since 2006.
Chequers was also used on 15 October 2011 to host a charity fundraiser for Mencap and three other charities raising funds for disabled children. The party was also attended by Labour and Conservative party donors.
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