A TORY minister has said her failure to be transparent about hosting a dinner for a shadowy party donor was an “admin error”.
Energy minister Amanda Solloway used House of Commons facilities to host a private dinner for Businessfore last June – which had recently donated to her local Conservative branch – without properly declaring her financial links to the firm, reports Politico.
She told the news site should rectify the “error”.
Businessfore is a opaque company which donated £125,000 to former Tory MP Andrew Bridgen between 2010 and 2019, according to openDemocracy.
The firm is an “unincorporated association” with ties to an insurance firm, Politico reported. Its unincorporated status means it is not required to detail the source of its funds or publish accounts.
The event hosted by Solloway – then a Government whip – was said to have consisted of a reception and a meal, with guests given the chance to meet political movers and shakers, including the then-work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey.
Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said: “Rules around donations are in place for a reason. It’s not good enough for senior Conservatives to simply ‘forget’ to declare thousands of pounds in donations when arranging what looks an awful lot like privileged access to ministers.”
Solloway told Politico: “Many thanks for pointing this admin error out, we are now in the process of looking into this and rectifying the record.
“The event was to encourage more women to develop an interest in politics and have a networking event.”
She added: “My sincere apologies, there was no deliberate attempt to mislead the record.”
