David Cameron in spotlight over two more peerages to Tory party donors

Labour claims 13 peers created by the prime minister during term of office have donated more than £22m to party coffers

David Cameron was embroiled in another cash for peerages row after he ennobled two big donors in a 22-strong list of new political peers.

The pair were the Conservative party treasurer Michael Farmer, who has given £5.9m to the party, and an Asian businessman, Ranbir Singh Suri, chairman of Oceanic Jewellers. Labour said that 13 peers created by Cameron since becoming prime minister were Tory donors, including Farmer and Suri. The 13 have collectively given the Tories more than £22m, Labour claimed.

Of the 22, there are 12 Conservative peers, six Liberal Democrats, three Labour and one Democratic Unionist. Half are women.

The Liberal Democrats now have over 100 peers for the first time since the late 1920s and face the prospect of boasting three times more seats in the Lords than MPs after the 2015 election. The political bloc has the ability to be a significant force in British politics after the election and it is likely to be supplemented by a further tranche of MPs in any dissolution honours list.

The most famous Conservative peers are Sir Stuart Rose, the former chief executive of Marks and Spencer, and Karren Brady, the vice-chairman of West Ham United, who is also small business ambassador for the Tories.

Other Tories granted peerages include Dido Harding, the chief executive of the broadband provider TalkTalk; Andrew Cooper, the Tory pollster, and Martin Callanan, former leader of the Tory MEPs and the European Conservatives and Reformists group.

A peerage has also been given to Carlyn Chisholm, the co-chairman of the Conservative candidates' committee; Natalie Evans, director of the New Schools Network, the charity supporting groups wanting to set up free schools; and Arminka Helic, the special adviser to the ex-foreign secretary, William Hague. Nosheena Mobarik, chairwoman of the Pakistan Britain Trade and Investment Forum, has been rewarded for her work as advocate of ethic minorities in business. Another prominent Tory-supporting businesswoman, Joanna Shields, the prime minister's digital adviser and chair of Tech City UK, is also elevated.

Labour has been given three peerages, including for the former actor Michael Cashman, now an MEP and gay rights campaigner.

Ed Miliband has continued the long tradition of giving peerages to former party officials by awarding one to Chris Lennie, a former Labour deputy general secretary.

Dame Gail Rebuck, the publisher and chairman of Penguin Random House, has also been chosen by Miliband to be a peer. She was married to Philip Gould, the Labour pollster who died of cancer in 2011.

The Lib Dems have given peerages mainly to figures in its now decimated local government base. As well as a peerage for Chris Fox, the party's former chief executive, "ermine consolation prizes" have gone to David Goddard, the former leader of Stockport council; Barbara Janke, the former leader of Bristol council; Kath Pinnock, the former leader of Kirklees council; and Paul Scriven, the former leader of Sheffield council.

Dr Julie Smith, a senior lecturer in international relations at Cambridge University, has also been made a peer and will lend foreign policy expertise to the party.

Nick Clegg said: "Our new peers highlight the campaigning heartbeat of our party, standing up for their local areas and championing the Lib Dem cause to deliver a stronger economy and a fairer society."

The Tories pointed out that Miliband had given a peerage last year to one of the people responsible for raising donations for Labour, Jonathan Mendelsohn, and insisted the cost of running the House of Lords had fallen. Ukip complained that Cameron had denied it any peerages, despite its strong showing in the European and local elections.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/08/david-cameron-spotlight-lordships-given-tory-party-donors

Bought and paid for!

Sassy wrote:Labour claims 13 peers created by the prime minister during term of office have donated more than £22m to party coffers

David Cameron was embroiled in another cash for peerages row after he ennobled two big donors in a 22-strong list of new political peers.

The pair were the Conservative party treasurer Michael Farmer, who has given £5.9m to the party, and an Asian businessman, Ranbir Singh Suri, chairman of Oceanic Jewellers. Labour said that 13 peers created by Cameron since becoming prime minister were Tory donors, including Farmer and Suri. The 13 have collectively given the Tories more than £22m, Labour claimed.

Of the 22, there are 12 Conservative peers, six Liberal Democrats, three Labour and one Democratic Unionist. Half are women.

The Liberal Democrats now have over 100 peers for the first time since the late 1920s and face the prospect of boasting three times more seats in the Lords than MPs after the 2015 election. The political bloc has the ability to be a significant force in British politics after the election and it is likely to be supplemented by a further tranche of MPs in any dissolution honours list.

The most famous Conservative peers are Sir Stuart Rose, the former chief executive of Marks and Spencer, and Karren Brady, the vice-chairman of West Ham United, who is also small business ambassador for the Tories.

Other Tories granted peerages include Dido Harding, the chief executive of the broadband provider TalkTalk; Andrew Cooper, the Tory pollster, and Martin Callanan, former leader of the Tory MEPs and the European Conservatives and Reformists group.

A peerage has also been given to Carlyn Chisholm, the co-chairman of the Conservative candidates' committee; Natalie Evans, director of the New Schools Network, the charity supporting groups wanting to set up free schools; and Arminka Helic, the special adviser to the ex-foreign secretary, William Hague. Nosheena Mobarik, chairwoman of the Pakistan Britain Trade and Investment Forum, has been rewarded for her work as advocate of ethic minorities in business. Another prominent Tory-supporting businesswoman, Joanna Shields, the prime minister's digital adviser and chair of Tech City UK, is also elevated.

Labour has been given three peerages, including for the former actor Michael Cashman, now an MEP and gay rights campaigner.

Ed Miliband has continued the long tradition of giving peerages to former party officials by awarding one to Chris Lennie, a former Labour deputy general secretary.

Dame Gail Rebuck, the publisher and chairman of Penguin Random House, has also been chosen by Miliband to be a peer. She was married to Philip Gould, the Labour pollster who died of cancer in 2011.

The Lib Dems have given peerages mainly to figures in its now decimated local government base. As well as a peerage for Chris Fox, the party's former chief executive, "ermine consolation prizes" have gone to David Goddard, the former leader of Stockport council; Barbara Janke, the former leader of Bristol council; Kath Pinnock, the former leader of Kirklees council; and Paul Scriven, the former leader of Sheffield council.

Dr Julie Smith, a senior lecturer in international relations at Cambridge University, has also been made a peer and will lend foreign policy expertise to the party.

Nick Clegg said: "Our new peers highlight the campaigning heartbeat of our party, standing up for their local areas and championing the Lib Dem cause to deliver a stronger economy and a fairer society."

The Tories pointed out that Miliband had given a peerage last year to one of the people responsible for raising donations for Labour, Jonathan Mendelsohn, and insisted the cost of running the House of Lords had fallen. Ukip complained that Cameron had denied it any peerages, despite its strong showing in the European and local elections.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/08/david-cameron-spotlight-lordships-given-tory-party-donors

Bought and paid for!

I don't like the system any more than you do, Sassy, but Gail Rebuck is a Labour donor (and her late husband even more so) and Labour have, over the years, elevated countless trade union leaders (part of whose members' subscription cash goes to Labour unless they go through the rather intimidating procedure of opting out of the political levy) and party donors and supporters to the House of Lords. Perhaps you forget the scandal over "bought" peerages during the Labour government and the sudden withdrawal of the names of a clutch of prominent Labour donors and supporters as potential peers that were, er, suddenly withdrawn, when the Press started to look uncomfortably closely into exactly what they had done to deserve a coronet and ermine stole.

As I say, I think the whole system stinks and every political party with a Commons or Lords presence has been involved in this "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" chicanery.

I would say that if one looked closely into the financial political party links of about half the Life Peerage members of the House of Lords, the term "bought and paid for" would be appropriate.

Good Evening Fred, nice to have an intelligent reply.   Indeed, I don't think any party should be allowed to make peers.   They should be nominated by the general public for outstanding contributions to the country and voted for.   If we have to have a second chamber, and sometimes it holds the first one in check, lets at least have it made up of people who have done some good to get there.

People being rewarded with a peerage for doing nothing much more that donating money to a particular party is just ridiculous. We keep reading about this all the time but it just goes on and on even though I suspect that the parties know that the ordinary guy in the street doesn't agree with it.

It's just contempt for the electorate and nothing more.

Sassy wrote:Good Evening Fred, nice to have an intelligent reply.   Indeed, I don't think any party should be allowed to make peers.   They should be nominated by the general public for outstanding contributions to the country and voted for.   If we have to have a second chamber, and sometimes it holds the first one in check, lets at least have it made up of people who have done some good to get there.

We certainly need a second chamber with modifying powers, and I would favour the Congress/Senate system that exists in the USA and other democratic states. I believe members of both houses should elected by popular vote. It's not perfect and political chicanery is often rife in the US and elsewhere, to varying degrees, but name a country where it isn't!

While I don't like our present upper house system of appointments, I'd pay devil's advocate to the point of conceding that all the parties do, on occasion, put forward some really good candidates who bring a lot of valuable wisdom and experience to bear when they achieve their elevation to the peerage. The undoubted business acumen of both Sir Stuart Rose and Gail Rebuck and the expertise in international affairs of Julie Smith can only be to the good...but I'd be a lot happier to see them all on the crossbenches and not subject to party whips.

Baroness Lawrence...Why?

Irn Bru wrote:People being rewarded with a peerage for doing nothing much more that donating money to a particular party is just ridiculous. We keep reading about this all the time but it just goes on and on even though I suspect that the parties know that the ordinary guy in the street doesn't agree with it.

It's just contempt for the electorate and nothing more.

For once we agree. All major donors, whether in industry and commerce or the trade unions, are going to expect their quid pro quo. Ideally the parties should place at the very head of their list of criteria for a peerage knowledge, experience and influence that will benefit the country as a whole and not just a vested interest.

Sadly, however, that ain't going to happen under the present system.

Shady wrote:Baroness Lawrence...Why?

Because of the huge amount of charity work she has done, and the hundreds of lives she has made better.

Fred Moletrousers wrote:

Irn Bru wrote:People being rewarded with a peerage for doing nothing much more that donating money to a particular party is just ridiculous. We keep reading about this all the time but it just goes on and on even though I suspect that the parties know that the ordinary guy in the street doesn't agree with it.

It's just contempt for the electorate and nothing more.

For once we agree. All major donors, whether in industry and commerce or the trade unions, are going to expect their quid pro quo. Ideally the parties should place at the very head of their list of criteria for a peerage knowledge, experience and influence that will benefit the country as a whole and not just a vested interest.

Sadly, however, that ain't going to happen under the present system.

Agreed Fred, and I can't see any party changing the rules for the better.