Saturday, February 01, 2025
Tory funders defecting to Reform
The Guardian reports that the Tories are fighting back in an attempt to stem the loss of high-value donors amid a shift in funders towards Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
The paper says that the party’s leader, Kemi Badenoch, is expected to appear at the Conservatives’ London conference in Westminster on Saturday, where wealthy party donors say they have been invited to evening drinks:
It comes after Reform’s fundraiser in Mayfair on Tuesday which was attended by former Conservative donors including Bassim Haidar and Mohamed Amersi, who each paid £25,000 to join a top table with Farage.
Sources in Reform say that pledges of more than £1m had already come in from businesspeople, and the Guardian understands there is now deep concern at Conservative central headquarters (CCHQ) that many of their donors are considering switching to Farage’s party.
One Conservative source said the past few months appeared to be one of the worst periods ever for the party in terms of bringing in donations.
They said the CCHQ’s treasurer department was extremely concerned about the number of donors who have paused or entirely stopped donations. There is particular worry about those who have already started contributing to Reform, as it can be almost impossible to bring back donors who switch to another party.
Others senior Conservatives are alarmed that Badenoch does not appear to have put in enough effort to wooing donors, with one attender at a function saying she turned up late, was not explicit enough about asking for money and then left early.
There is even concern among some of Badenoch’s high profile supporters.
Sir Rocco Forte, the luxury hotel owner who gave £20,000 to Badenoch’s leadership campaign last year and donated £100,000 to the Tory party during its successful 2019 general election campaign, said: “It’s not yet clear what the Conservative party is doing and for me and many other people there is a big question mark.
“I’m a very big supporter of Kemi Badenoch. I think she understands a radical revolution is needed. A lot of what Reform is saying is pointing in the right direction and I admire Farage, who have momentum at the moment and have no baggage.
“The problem for Kemi Badenoch is that every time she says anything, others ask ‘Well, why didn’t you do something about it when you’re in power?’ I think she’s got to disassociate herself quite significantly from what happened in the last 14 years when there was a strategy of the middle ground and all that.”
He said he thought Farage could reach parts of the country the Tories could not, “particularly the north”, adding: “It could well be that come the next election you could have the vote on the right split. Some form of accommodation may have to come about. People talk about a merger but I think an accommodation is more likely.”
In an uncomfortable moment for Badenoch, Farage plans to park Reform’s tanks on the Tory leader’s own lawn on Friday night by holding a rally in her constituency of North West Essex.
Badenoch is defending a relatively slim majority of 2,610 in what was once a Tory stronghold, but where a bigger Reform showing at the next election could hand the seat to Labour by splitting the right-wing vote.
Things are looking really ropey for the new Tory leader. Can she turn it around?
The paper says that the party’s leader, Kemi Badenoch, is expected to appear at the Conservatives’ London conference in Westminster on Saturday, where wealthy party donors say they have been invited to evening drinks:
It comes after Reform’s fundraiser in Mayfair on Tuesday which was attended by former Conservative donors including Bassim Haidar and Mohamed Amersi, who each paid £25,000 to join a top table with Farage.
Sources in Reform say that pledges of more than £1m had already come in from businesspeople, and the Guardian understands there is now deep concern at Conservative central headquarters (CCHQ) that many of their donors are considering switching to Farage’s party.
One Conservative source said the past few months appeared to be one of the worst periods ever for the party in terms of bringing in donations.
They said the CCHQ’s treasurer department was extremely concerned about the number of donors who have paused or entirely stopped donations. There is particular worry about those who have already started contributing to Reform, as it can be almost impossible to bring back donors who switch to another party.
Others senior Conservatives are alarmed that Badenoch does not appear to have put in enough effort to wooing donors, with one attender at a function saying she turned up late, was not explicit enough about asking for money and then left early.
There is even concern among some of Badenoch’s high profile supporters.
Sir Rocco Forte, the luxury hotel owner who gave £20,000 to Badenoch’s leadership campaign last year and donated £100,000 to the Tory party during its successful 2019 general election campaign, said: “It’s not yet clear what the Conservative party is doing and for me and many other people there is a big question mark.
“I’m a very big supporter of Kemi Badenoch. I think she understands a radical revolution is needed. A lot of what Reform is saying is pointing in the right direction and I admire Farage, who have momentum at the moment and have no baggage.
“The problem for Kemi Badenoch is that every time she says anything, others ask ‘Well, why didn’t you do something about it when you’re in power?’ I think she’s got to disassociate herself quite significantly from what happened in the last 14 years when there was a strategy of the middle ground and all that.”
He said he thought Farage could reach parts of the country the Tories could not, “particularly the north”, adding: “It could well be that come the next election you could have the vote on the right split. Some form of accommodation may have to come about. People talk about a merger but I think an accommodation is more likely.”
In an uncomfortable moment for Badenoch, Farage plans to park Reform’s tanks on the Tory leader’s own lawn on Friday night by holding a rally in her constituency of North West Essex.
Badenoch is defending a relatively slim majority of 2,610 in what was once a Tory stronghold, but where a bigger Reform showing at the next election could hand the seat to Labour by splitting the right-wing vote.
Things are looking really ropey for the new Tory leader. Can she turn it around?