Anthony Bamford

Anthony Paul Bamford, Baron Bamford (born 23 October 1945), is a British billionaire businessman who is the chairman of J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB). He succeeded his father, Joseph Cyril Bamford, as chairman and managing director of the company in 1975, at the age of 30. He was knighted in 1990. Bamford has appeared in the '' Sunday Times Rich List'', and in 2021 his net worth was estimated at US$9.48billion. Bamford is a car collector whose collection includes two examples of the rare Ferrari 250 GTO, valued upwards of $70 million each.

Early life and education

Bamford was born on 23 October 1945 to Joseph Bamford and Marjorie Bamford (née Griffin). He was educated at Ampleforth College, then an all-boys Roman Catholic public school (i.e. independent boarding school). He then studied at the University of Grenoble.

Business career

In 1974, Bamford sued the then MP Jeffrey Archer for bankruptcy after Archer failed to repay a £172,000 loan. Archer had lost the money in a fraudulent share scam. Archer later repaid the money from his earnings as a novelist and Bamford subsequently withdrew the bankruptcy notice.

In 2000, JCB was fined £22 million by the European Commission for antitrust breaches. Bamford said the decision was "disappointing and wrong". A six-year legal battle ensued, which resulted in the European Court of Justice upholding the penalty.

Outside of business, Bamford is a well-known collector of early vintage Ferraris, and is the only individual to own two Ferrari 250 GTOs. He was once the owner of a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Grand Prix car raced by the five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina, and in August 2006, he expressed an interest in purchasing Jaguar Cars but backed out when he was told the sale would also involve Land Rover, which he did not wish to buy.

A few months before Bamford joined the House of Lords, he shut down a company he had owned that was registered in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven according to the Panama Papers. The company was called Casper Ltd. and was formed in 1994. Bamford was the sole shareholder. A spokesman for Bamford told ''The Guardian'' in 2016 that Casper Ltd. never owned any assets, had a bank account or engaged in any activity during its entire existence.

In 2014 Bamford was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Politics

Bamford is a major donor to the UK Conservative Party, with JCB and related Bamford entities giving the party £8.1m in cash or kind between 2007 and 2017.

He donated £1 million before the 2010 General Election, and Prime Minister David Cameron recommended him for a peerage that same year, however Bamford withdrew his name from consideration days before the members were announced. Between 2001 and 2010, JCB Research, a reportedly "obscure" and little known company that was incorporated by Bamford in 1961, donated over £4.5 million to Conservative politicians, although it was only reportedly worth £27,000 at the end of 2010.

In 2012, Bamford was later outspoken on the need for the UK Government to champion manufacturing in the UK and commissioned a report in 2012 on the subject which was sent directly to David Cameron.

In June 2016, Bamford wrote a letter in support of voting to leave the European Union to his employees. In October 2016, he led his company to leave the CBI over the organisation's anti-Brexit stance. JCB also donated £100,000 to Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit group. In May 2021, Bamford rejected an invitation to rejoin the CBI, after previously having called it a "waste of time" that "didn't represent my business or private companies".

During the 2019 general election campaign, Bamford donated £3,935,984 to the Conservative Party.

In 2023 New Statesman named Bamford the 33rd most powerful right-wing political figure in the UK, writing that he "collects othcars and politicians".

House of Lords

In August 2013, it was announced that Bamford was to be elevated to the House of Lords. On 3 October 2013, he was made Baron Bamford ''of Daylesford in the County of Gloucestershire and of Wootton in the County of Staffordshire''. On 10 June 2014, he made his maiden speech in the Lords during a debate on the Queen's Speech. He spoke a further four times: once on manufacturing, once on Brexit, and twice on green hydrogen.

Lord Bamford retired from the House of Lords in March 2024.

Personal life

Bamford owns mansions in several countries; in England, they include Daylesford House and Wootton Lodge. In 2004 Bamford bought Sloane House in Chelsea, London from oil trader Ely Calil for £45 million. Although he was linked to offshore tax havens in the Panama Papers through sole ownership of Casper Ltd., his spokesman said the company was inactive for its entire existence before being dissolved in 2012.

Bamford is married to Carole Whitt and they have 3 children, Joseph "Jo" Cyril Edward, George, and Alice. Jo Bamford is also a businessman who founded a green hydrogen investment fund after working at the family company. In 2019 Jo purchased Northern Irish company Wrightbus, which manufactures buses, including London's double-deckers.

Bamford is close to King Charles III as well as former prime ministers Tony Blair, David Cameron and Boris Johnson. He provided Daylesford House for Johnson's wedding party in July 2022, along with £23,853 towards costs.

With his wife, Bamford was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot 2023.

Tax investigation

In 2023, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) launched a probe into "alleged aggressive tax avoidance measures" by Bamford and his brother Mark. The inquiry concerns shares held offshore in Bermudan family trusts.

Ghislaine Maxwell connection

In February 2025, US Attorney General Pam Bondi released files relating to convicted British sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Bamford and his wife were listed on the fourth page of Maxwell's contact book.

Car collection

Bamford is a prolific car collector with an interest in rare vintage Ferraris. His car collection is valued in excess of £260 million and includes:

* Ferrari 250 GTO s/n 3767
* Ferrari 250 GTO s/n 4399
* Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
* Ferrari F12tdf
* Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (Uhlenhaut Coupé)
* Aston Martin DBR2
* Aston Martin DB4 GT
* Porsche 911 992 GT2 RS
* Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS

Arms

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamford, Anthony
1945 births
British car collectors
Deputy lieutenants of Staffordshire
English billionaires
English manufacturing businesspeople
JCB (company)
Knights Bachelor
Conservative Party (UK) life peers
Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite
Living people
People educated at Ampleforth College
People from Staffordshire
Grenoble Alpes University alumni
British Eurosceptics
Conservative Party (UK) donors
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Honorary Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014
Bamford family
Businesspeople awarded knighthoods
20th-century English businesspeople
British chairpersons of corporations