A Conservative donor has suggested the party convenes a “special investigation'” into conflicts of interest surrounding the Tory co-chairman Ben Elliot.
Mohammed Amersi, a telecoms entrepreneur and philanthropist, has also argued the party should improve its governance structures and remove Mr Elliot if he does not comply.
“[Ben Elliot] has done a great job in terms of raising money,” Mr Amersi said.
“If there are any lapses in governance… they can be easily structured and addressed. Then the party and the board has to see whether he is somebody who’s willing and able to work within those structures.
“If the answer to that is yes, give him a chance. If the answer to that is no, then perhaps invite him to reconsider his position.”
Advertisement
Mr Amersi and his partner have donated £750,000 to the party over the last four years, and has since met Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior cabinet figures.
But he has raised concerns about the blurred lines between Mr Elliot’s personal, political and business interests.
More on Conservatives
Related Topics:
As well as his role as the party’s chief fundraiser, Mr Elliot runs Quintessentially, a “concierge” service for the super rich.
He is the nephew of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Mr Elliot also co-founded the PR and lobbying company Hawthorn Advisers, but says he is not involved in their day-to-day work.
He has been accused of soliciting charity donations in return for access to Prince Charles. There is no suggestion the future king was aware of this.
When approached at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Mr Elliot refused to answer questions from Sky News.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Ben Elliot’s business and charitable work are entirely separate to the voluntary work he does for the party.
“Donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with the law.”
A new report suggests the UK Treasury is working to sell up to $7 billion worth of seized Bitcoin, but one person has slammed the report as “sensationalism” amid a crypto bull run.
Consumers will get stronger protections with a new water watchdog – as trust in water companies takes a record dive.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed will announce today that the government will set up the new water ombudsman with legal powers to resolve disputes, rather than the current voluntary system.
The watchdog will mean an expansion of the Consumer Council for Water’s (CCW) role and will bring the water sector into line with other utilities that have legally binding consumer watchdogs.
Consumers will then have a single point of contact for complaints.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the new watchdog would help “re-establish partnership” between water companies and consumers.
A survey by the CCW in May found trust in water companies had reached a new low, with fewer than two-thirds of people saying they provided value for money.
Just 35% said they thought charges from water companies were fair – even before the impact could be felt from a 26% increase in bills in April.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:20
‘We’ll be able to eliminate sewage spillages’
Mr Reed is planning a “root and branch reform” of the water industry – which he branded “absolutely broken” – that he will reveal alongside a major review of the sector today.
The review is expected to recommend the scrapping of water regulator Ofwat and the creation of a new one, to incorporate the work of the CCW.
Image: A water pollution protest by Surfers Against Sewage in Brighton
Campaigners and MPs have accused Ofwat of failing to hold water operators to account, while the companies complain a focus on keeping bills down has prevented appropriate infrastructure investment.
He pledged to halve sewage pollution by water companies by 2030 and said Labour would eliminate unauthorised sewage spillages in a decade.
Mr Reed announced £104bn of private investment to help the government do that.
Victoria Atkins MP, shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural Affairs, said: “While stronger consumer protections are welcome in principle, they are only one part of the serious long-term reforms the water sector needs.
“We all want the water system to improve, and honesty about the scale of the challenge is essential. Steve Reed must explain that bill payers are paying for the £104 billion investment plan. Ministers must also explain how replacing one quango with another is going to clean up our rivers and lakes.
“Public confidence in the water system will only be rebuilt through transparency, resilience, and delivery.”
Embedding human rights into crypto systems is a necessity. Self-custody, privacy-by-default, and censorship-resistant personhood must be core design principles for any technology. The future of digital freedom depends on it.