David Cameron was asked during PMQs today whether or not he would continue hosting dinners at Downing Street with a man named Ian Taylor. He was also urged to return the money Mr Taylor has donated to the Conservative Party.
David Cameron was asked during PMQs today whether or not he would continue hosting dinners at Downing Street with a man named Ian Taylor. He was also asked whether he would be giving back money the same Mr Taylor had donated to the Tory Party.
Mr Cameron gave a curt response, accusing the MP who asked the question – Angus Robertson of the SNP – of playing a “cheap political card”.
So just who is Ian Taylor?
Well first off he is the president and chief executive of the world’s largest oil trader, Vitol, and he has been involved in the oil business for more than 30 years. Since June 2006 he has donated £555,100 to the Tory party. He also dined with David Cameron at Downing Street on 2 November 2011.
In 2001, The Observer revealed that Vitol paid £1 million to Serbian war criminal Željko Ražnatović (better known as Arkan) to arrange an oil deal with the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. For its part Vitol said no illegal conduct was involved in this transaction. According to the the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Arkan was responsible for at least 24 crimes against humanity, including the murder of civilians, rape and ethnic cleansing.
According to Herald Scotland, Vitol, the company which Ian Taylor head, has also in the past used Employee Benefit Trusts to avoid tax on the incomes of its UK staff and has been in discussion with HMRC about a deal to pay this off.
Is it really acceptable for Mr Cameron to dismiss concerns about donations from someone whose company had a relationship with one of Serbia’s most notorious war criminals in so blase a manner?
64 Responses to “David Cameron’s dodgy money”
Iain S
You’re just ignoring all the other allegations then?
I don’t speak for Yes Scotland. I speak for myself. I want an independent Scotland where they people get what they vote for. I don’t think many people in Scotland voted for the bedroom tax. I would also hope that it would cause modernisation at Westminster.
If most Scots support further devolution why didn’t you trust them to vote on it?
You won’t beat the Coalition. Ed milliband is too unpopular and no party has won with an unpopular leader.
Richas
Well I am not sure what your other allegations are. They seem to be that Vitol as a major supplier of oil, sells oil. Now me I prefer a real firm that ships oil to real people to some derivative oil price trader dealing in futures not shipping oil to heat homes or fuel cars ships and trucks. I am sure that like all big oil companies Vitol deals in nasty places with nasty people but that is not a crime.
Alec
No. Richas describes the referendum as a vanity exercise by Salmond (like, arguably, all referendums are exercises in manufactured consent).
Never. Not even those who try to firewall themselves from criticism by a disclaimer bordering on sophistry
I simply suggest they’re insouciant towards gay-baiting and will, unbidden, make a statement which reasonably could be seen as telling gays to be grateful for small mercies… and then continue standing by it when pressed.
~alec
Iain S
No. I’m using rant in it’s sense of – a tirade of nonsense.
if we’re getting all semantic, did I say Tory ‘party’ funded? I said Tory. Ian Taylor is a Tory.
I judge political parties by their actions and I don’t like the Tory government.
Ohhh! You know my political position. Good for you. I’m sure that I’m going to regret revealing that to someone who has a moral ladder with so few rungs and, yet, is able to reach judgement.
You accused me of ‘telling gays facing gay-baiting that worse things happen at sea’. Sounds like you’re suggesting I support gay-baiting there.
Alec
And I – and presumably Richas – don’t speak for BT. We speak for ourselves. Ah-ha, you didn’t think of that!
Very well. Point to the popular campaign – preferably one you’re involved with – which did not ride on Salmond’s gill-tails when he was in the ascendant, and are now saying “who me? Always been my own person!” when it starts to falter.