Donations To The Conservative Party By Michael Ashcroft

EDM number 98 in 1998-99, proposed by DN Campbell-Savours on 09/12/1998.

That this House condemns the lack of openness by the Conservative Party in its latest accounts; notes that the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition has pledged to end the secretive and defensive nature of Conservative Party funding, saying 'We have nothing to hide and nothing to fear'; further notes that when the latest accounts say that 'a cash donation of one million pounds was received from a donor who is regarded, under Inititial Financial Reporting Standard 8, Related Party Transactions, as a connected party of Michael Ashcroft'; believes that if this donation has been received directly from Michael Ashcroft, the new Conservative Party Treaurer and a noted tax exile who was criticised in the DTI inspector's report into the Blue Arrow affair in 1991 for his 'unconvincing', 'unsatisfactory' and 'disquieting' explanations and actions, the Conservative Party should say so and should be more discriminating in its source of funds; and hopes that the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee will reject any future nomination for an honour for Michael Ashcroft on behalf of the Conservative Party.

This motion has been signed by a total of 29 MPs.