A Major Tory donor threatened to “expose” the party’s Treasurer over crony honours after a row broke out at a dinner attended by major party backers.
Lord Rami Ranger, who has given £1.3 million to the party personally and through his firm Sun Mark, accused Treasurer Malik Karim of being rude to him at the Global Unity dinner at the Dorchester last week.
Witnesses said a row had broken out at the gala, arranged by Tory donor Dr Selva Pankaj - and at which Lord Ranger and Mr Karim shared a table.
It recently emerged host Dr Pankaj’s firm, Regent Group, had hired former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as an advisor, paying him £50,000 a year.
Mr Williamson, who gave the keynote speech at the dinner, has also been advising Rishi Sunak ’s leadership campaign.
Lord Ranger accused Mr Karim of presenting having “snapped” at him repeatedly, shouting and treating the Tory peer like an “employee”.
Mr Karim was named Treasurer by party chairman Ben Elliot in September, after being recommended for the role by fellow banker Lord Grimstone.
But one Tory backer branded him the “worst treasurer ever” - and another said he presented as “unfriendly” to donors.
In a three page letter of complaint to Mr Karim, seen by the Sunday Mirror and copied in to Boris Johnson and party chairman Ben Elliot, Lord Ranger warned Mr Karim: “Remember it is illegal to buy honours for cash and if you receive any honour for paying money, I will be the first to expose you.”
Accusing Mr Karim of shouting at him the previous night, Lord Ranger wrote: “The scene you were creating was in front of your wife. You were either being unprofessional or wanted to impress your wife as to how you treat a British Peer.
“Let me tell you for your good. You have disgraced the Party from the position from where one has to show kind, consideration and appear to be empathetic in order to attract people to the Party. You on the other hand [are] projecting a unfriendly picture.
“You should be mindful that donors are not your paid staff where you can be condescending and give them orders. In fact, you cannot speak to anyone the way you did.”
Lord Ranger told the Sunday Mirror he was seeking to “pre-empt” any peerage or knighthood for Mr Karim, because he has “not been in the party long enough.”
But he said he was not aware of any plan to give Mr Karim a peerage in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours, and a spokesperson for Mr Karim said he had not been approached for the forthcoming list.
The spokesman said the argument took place at the end of the evening, and that he had immediately reported it to both the host of the dinner and to CCHQ.
Also invited to the dinner were Tory MPs Paul Scully, Mark Fletcher and Theresa Villiers.
I’m a Celeb contestant and Vamps guitarist James McVey, and former England footballer Emile Heskey were also on the guest list.
