The Labour Party has been able to woo the big names of business this year, receiving record amounts in donations.
The Electoral Commission’s records show the party has received just over £31m in donations in the run up to the general election.
But who’s bankrolling the Sir Keir Starmer’s party? Take a look
The Sainsbury’s famil, amount: £4.1m
Supermarket tycoon Lord Sainsbury of Turville has been a Labour supporter for decades. He donated £3,070,000, records show, while his daughter Francesca Perrin became the highest-donating woman the party has ever had, giving £1,060,000.
Gary Lubner, former boss of Autoglass, amount: £6m
The car glass repair company Autoglass’s ex-boss is a diehard Labour supporter, donating nearly £6m to the party. The South African-born businessman – whose grandparents were Jewish refugees – told the Financial Times last year he was disappointed by the scale of antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and praised Keir Starmer for ridding the party of its “cancer”.
Dale Vince, founder, Ecotricit, amount: £4m
Dale Vince, the founder of gas and electricity supplier Ecotricity, has stumped up at least £4m to the Labour party’s coffers through his company since 2014.
This includes a whopping £1.6m donation this year, which caused a stir as Vince has also supported Just Stop Oil in recent years.
Trade Unions – GMB and Unison, amount: £7m
The trade unions remain one of the most staunch supporters of the Labour Party, donating almost £7m from them so far in 2024 and 2023. Unite, the GMB and Unison all contribute about £1m a year each, making them major sources of funding, according to the Guardian.
Martin Taylor, hedge fund manager, amount: £700,000
The Labour party raked in £700,000 from hedge fund manager Martin Taylor who is known for retiring at merely age 46 after closing his $1.5 billion hedge fund Nevsky Capital.
In 2018, he launched London-based global long-short equities hedge fund Crake Asset Management in October 2019 to bet on shares and trade underlying commodities.
Brian Clarke, owner, Transilluminate, amount: £250,000
Transilluminate, a company owned by artist Brian Clarke, has donated £250,000 to the Labour Party this year. Clarke is known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, symbolist paintings and set designs
Sir Victor Blank, the former chair of Lloyds TSB, amount: £175,000
Sir Victor Blank, the former chair of Lloyds TSB, has thrown his support behind shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves. He has resumed making donations, giving £175,000 to the Labour party since 2020.
Waheed Alli, TV production suprem, amount: £250,000
Waheed Alli amassed a fortune running hisTV production business. The Labour peer, who wants to back Starmer to win the election, has given £700,000 to the party over the years, including about £250,000 since the last election.
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