A company run by Tory mega-donor Anthony Bamford has funded Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's helicopter trip with £8,000.
Lord Bamford, who was a Tory peer until he resigned from the House of Lords this year, has donated millions of pounds to the Conservative Party and is a close ally of Boris Johnson, providing accommodation for the former prime minister after he leaves office. provided funding.
However, JC Bamford Excavators paid for the helicopter trip for Farage and one of his staff on October 25, worth £8,413.20. The company said the Clacton MP was given the opportunity to tour the JCB site by helicopter and that the company, which is developing hydrogen-fueled transport, had engaged with politicians from all parties, including then shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves. said.
But the fact that Mr Farage is being courted by the business of a major Tory donor has raised eyebrows among Tories, who are nervous about the prospect of a reformist leader forging relationships with donors. are.
A spokesman for Mr Farage said: “Nigel and Lord Bamford are friends.”
In recent years, some Tory donors have made the transition from Tory to Reform, including financier Jeremy Hosking and Charlie Mullins, who previously gave to the Conservative Party through his business Pimlico Plummers. Some people did. Fitriani Hay, another major Tory donor who supported Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, donated £50,000 to Reform in June.
The new Reform Party leader and donor Zia Yusuf was a Conservative MP until he decided to change hands. Others, such as Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborn, have donated to both the Conservative Party and the Reform Party over the years.
A JCB spokesperson said: “We welcome politicians from all parties to JCB. For example, Labor MP Rachel Reeves will join JCB in September 2022 to gain understanding of our business and hydrogen development, including as shadow chancellor. visited.
“Nigel Farage MP visited JCB in late October and met with several senior managers. We encourage our executives to interact with elected officials through regular visits, while giving executives the opportunity to learn more about how the political world operates.
“We were delighted to have Mr Farage as a guest at JCB and appreciated gaining his insight into the post-election, pre-Budget political dynamics at Westminster.”
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The Observer reported last week that former Conservative energy secretary Claire Coutinho had also received donations from the billionaire boss of the JCB mining dynasty, including a £7,000 helicopter trip.
Coutinho also posed for pictures promoting Bamford's personal £100m hydrogen engine project and accepted a £7,500 donation from JCB to his local election campaign when he was energy secretary in Rishi Sunak's government. Ta.
In May 2024, Coutinho visited JCB's headquarters in Staffordshire for a meeting to discuss Bamford's £100m project for hydrogen-burning engines. During that trip, she “met JCB chairman Anthony Bamford, who is personally spearheading JCB's hydrogen development,” and posed for photos wearing a JCB helmet and high-vis vest.
The Observer found that the JCB empire donated £300,000 to the Conservative Party in 2024 alone.
