But Apparently Not

Andy McSmith writes:

More than £215,000 of the vast sums that the Conservative Party poured into marginal seats in the run-up to the general election came from the mysterious United and Cecil Club.

In the Register of Members’ Interests, 51 Tory MPs declared donations to their constituency parties from the club, ranging from £1,000 to £10,000, in the first three months of this year.

Most beneficiaries are new MPs, though there are a few who won their seats in 2010 by narrow margins.

The three whose parties received £10,000 each were sitting MPs Kris Hopkins and David Morris and Ben Howlett, who took Bath from the Lib Dems.

United and Cecil is a members’ association with only one known purpose – to collect and disburse donations to the Conservative Party.

On the Election Commission registry, its address is given as a £2m private house near Slough.

Most of the MPs who have benefited from it give its address as a stables near Windsor, run by Tim Lord, former chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association.

A few give its address as Munslows, an accountants’ firm in High Holborn, London, and one entry suggests it is based in the same building as the Carlton Club, a short walk from Parliament.

United and Cecil has no contact details and its membership list is not public.

It does not need to declare its sources of money as it comes in individual donations below £7,500.

Given the clamour the Tories raise about Labour’s union donations, you might think they would have qualms about being funded by a secretive organisation, but apparently not.