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Labour Leader's Office Fund
The Labour Leader's Office Fund was a blind trust established and run by Lord Levy to finance Tony Blair's work in opposition before the 1997 general election. Contributors to it included the millionaires Sir Trevor Chinn, Sir Emmanuel Kaye, Alex Bernstein and Bob Gavron, the latter two of whom later received peerages. Quotes about the fund * "While it does not necessarily follow that the scheme was anything other than the model of probity, there is at least an argument that Lloyd George knew its father." — David Osler, author of ''Labour Party PLC: New Labour as a Party of Business''. (Lloyd George was infamous for selling honours in the early 20th century.)For details see Pinto-Duschinsky, Michael: ''British Political Finance, 1830-1980'', Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute, 1981, pp. 44, 54-58, 86-88, 116-119 See also *Political funding in the United Kingdom Political funding in the United Kingdom has been a source of controversy for many years. Political par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blind Trust
A blind trust is a trust in which the trust beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings of the trust, and no right to intervene in their handling. In a blind trust, the trustees ( fiduciaries, or those who have been given power of attorney) have full discretion over the assets. Blind trusts are generally used when a trust creator (sometimes called a settlor, trustor, grantor, or donor) wishes for the beneficiary to be unaware of the specific assets in the trust, such as to avoid conflict of interest between the beneficiary and the investments. Politicians, or others in sensitive positions (such as journalists and religious leaders) often place their personal assets (including investment income) into blind trusts, to avoid public scrutiny and accusations of conflicts of interest when they direct government funds to the private sector. Use by US government officials to avoid conflicts of interest The US federal government recognizes the "qualified blind trust" (QBT), as def ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Levy, Baron Levy
Michael Abraham Levy, Baron Levy, (born 11 July 1944) is a Labour Party peer. He is a former chartered accountant and was chairman and CEO of a large independent group of music companies. He now acts as a consultant for a number of companies and is also chairman of a finance company. Levy is also the president of Sense and Sense International, Jewish Care, Barnet and Southgate Colleges, Jewish Free School (JFS), Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade (JLGB), Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School, and Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School (MMK). He was previously president of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and president of Volunteering Matters. Levy was the chief fundraiser for the Labour Party. A long-standing friend of former prime minister Tony Blair, Levy spent nine years as Blair's special envoy to the Middle East, being replaced by Gordon Brown's appointee, Lord Williams of Baglan, from September 2007. Early life Born in Stoke Newington, North London, to devout J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, and had served in various shadow cabinet posts from 1987 to 1994. Blair was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007. He is the second longest serving prime minister in modern history after Margaret Thatcher, and is the longest serving Labour politician to have held the office. Blair attended the independent school Fettes College, and studied law at St John's College, Oxford, where he became a barrister. He became involved in Labour politics and was elected to the House of Commons in 1983 for the Sedgefield constituency in County Durham. As a backbencher, Blair supported moving the party to the political centre of British politics. He was appointed to Neil Kinnock's shadow cabi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997 United Kingdom General Election
The 1997 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 1 May 1997. The governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister John Major was defeated in a landslide by the Labour Party led by Tony Blair, achieving a 179 seat majority. The political backdrop of campaigning focused on public opinion towards a change in government. Blair, as Labour Leader, focused on transforming his party through a more centrist policy platform, entitled ' New Labour', with promises of devolution referendums for Scotland and Wales, fiscal responsibility, and a decision to nominate more female politicians for election through the use of all-women shortlists from which to choose candidates. Major sought to rebuild public trust in the Conservatives following a series of scandals, including the events of Black Wednesday in 1992, through campaigning on the strength of the economic recovery following the early 1990s recession, but faced divisions within the party over the UK's membership of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scale number naming system, a billionaire is someone who has at least a thousand times a million dollars, euros or the currency of the given country. Many national currencies have, or have had at various times, a low unit value, in many cases due to past inflation. It is obviously much easier and less significant to be a millionaire in those currencies, thus a millionaire (in the local currency) in Hong Kong or Taiwan, for example, may be merely averagely wealthy, or perhaps less wealthy than average. A millionaire in Zimbabwe in 2007 could have been extremely poor. Because of this, the term 'millionaire' generally refers to those whose assets total at least one million units of a high-value currency, such as the United States dollar, Euro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trevor Chinn
Sir Trevor Edwin Chinn (born 24 July 1935) is a British businessman, philanthropist, and political activist. Business career Chinn was educated at Clifton College and King's College, Cambridge and started his career at Lex Garages (later Lex Service plc) where he followed in his father Rosser's footsteps, ascending to the role of managing director in 1968 at the age of 33 and to chairman and Chief Executive in 1973. In 1968 Lex made £1m in profits, but by the time he retired in 2003 the profits were over £85m. His most notable achievement at Lex was the acquisition of the RAC in 1999 for £425m, which completely changed the nature of the company and led to its change of name in 2001 to RAC plc. In 1989 he initiated the Lex Report on Motoring (now the RAC Report on Motoring), the most authoritative study of motorists' attitudes in Britain. He has become a successful entrepreneur. He is Senior Adviser, CVC Capital Partners; Chairman of ITIS plc, a traffic information company; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emmanuel Kaye
Sir Emmanuel Kaye (29 November 1914 – 28 February 1999) was a millionaire British industrialist and philanthropist known for founding Lansing Bagnall. Kaye was born in Russia, the son of wheat merchant Zelman Kagarlisky (1877/8–1926; his name was also spelled 'Zalman Kagarlitzky') and his wife Chassia Annie (1885/6–1943), a botanist. The family came to England when he was young, settling in London. Emmanuel was educated at Richmond Hill School, leaving to work for a small engineering firm at the age of 15. In 1934 his mother changed the family name to 'Kaye'. Kaye was a member of the CBI council from 1976 to 1989, and its financial policy committee from 1985 to 1992. Once a strong supporter of the Conservative party, he was believed to be a donor to Tony Blair's Labour Leader's Office Fund before the 1997 General Election. He was reportedly persuaded to contribute by Lord Levy. Kaye was associated with the Labour Friends of Israel. Among major beneficiaries of h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex Bernstein
Alexander Bernstein, Baron Bernstein of Craigweil (15 March 1936 – 13 April 2010) was a British television executive and a Labour member of the House of Lords. Descending from Latvian Jewish immigrants and educated at Stowe School and St John's College, Cambridge,Obituary: Lord Bernstein of Craigweil ''Daily Telegraph'' (website), 18 April 2010 Bernstein joined the , the leisure and television company founded by his uncle, , and his father, |
Bob Gavron
Robert Gavron, Baron Gavron (13 September 1930 – 7 February 2015) was a British printing millionaire, philanthropist and a Labour life peer. Early life and education Gavron was the eldest son of Nathan Gavron, a patent lawyer, and Leah Gavron. He was brought up in Hampstead Garden Suburb, north London, and studied at Leighton Park School in Reading and then at St Peter's College, Oxford. Gavron became a barrister and was called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1955. Career Gavron borrowed £5,000 to purchase a failing publishing house in 1964. He renamed it the St Ives Group and served as chairman from 1964 to 1993. He was the director of Octopus Publishing between 1975 and 1987 and Electra Management from 1981 to 1992. He was also the proprietor of the Carcanet Press from 1983 to 2015 and served as the chairman of the Folio Society, (1982–2015) and the National Gallery Co Ltd (1996–1998). He was both chairman of the Guardian Media Group and a trustee of the Scott Tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgian nobility Canada * British peerage titles granted to Canadian subjects of the Crown * Canadian nobility in the aristocracy of France China * Chinese nobility France * Peerage of France * List of French peerages * Peerage of Jerusalem Japan * Peerage of the Empire of Japan * House of Peers (Japan) Portugal * Chamber of Most Worthy Peers Spain * Chamber of Peers (Spain) * List of dukes in the peerage of Spain * List of viscounts in the peerage of Spain * List of barons in the peerage of Spain * List of lords in the peerage of Spain United Kingdom Great Britain and Ireland * Peerages in the United Kingdom **Hereditary peer, holders of titles which can be inherited by an heir ** Life peer, members of the peerage of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during the First World War, social reform policies including the National Insurance Act 1911, his role in the Paris Peace Conference, and negotiating the establishment of the Irish Free State. Early in his career, he was known for the disestablishment of the Church of England in Wales and support of Welsh devolution. He was the last Liberal Party prime minister; the party fell into third party status shortly after the end of his premiership. Lloyd George was born on 17 January 1863 in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, to Welsh parents. From around three months of age he was raised in Pembrokeshire and Llanystumdwy, Caernarfonshire, speaking Welsh. His father, a schoolmaster, died in 1864, and David was raised by his mother and her shoemake ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Osler
''For the American architect, see David Osler (architect).'' David Osler (born 12 May 1960 in Whitechapel, London) is a British journalist, author and former blogger. He was educated at Wellingborough Grammar School, City of London Polytechnic and the London School of Economics. Osler is finance editor of ''Lloyd's List'', the world's oldest English-language daily newspaper. He had previously worked as news editor for ''Tribune'', the Labour weekly, and for the Labour Research Department. His freelance contributions have appeared in ''The Guardian'', ''The Observer'', ''The Independent'', ''Daily Telegraph'', and the ''New Statesman''. In 2002, his book ''Labour Party Plc: New Labour as a Party of Business'' was published. He wrote a blog which was described by Conservative blogger Iain Dale as "brilliantly written and extremely insightful". In 2007, he was sued for libel by political activist Johanna Kaschke for a blog article and reader comments which she claimed connected ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
