Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
26 March 2012updated 05 Oct 2023 8:19am

Cameron caves in and agrees to publish donor list

PM bows to the inevitable and agrees to publish a list of all donor dinners at No.10

By George Eaton

As I predicted he would this morning, David Cameron has just announced that the Conservatives will publish a list of all private dinners with “significant donors” [a phrase open to interpretation] at Downing Street. In a short statement before his speech on dementia, he said there had been three such dinners in his No.10 flat since May 2010 as well as a post-election dinner at which some of the guests were donors.

It was an inevitable concession – Cameron’s refusal to publish the list gave the media a licence to pursue the story. But the fact the move had to be wrung out of the Tories [Francis Maude described demands for its publication as a “nonsense” on the Today programme this morning] means he will receive little credit for it.

Cameron also vowed to “put in place new procedures in which if any ministerial contact with a party donor prompts a request for policy advice, the minister wil refer this to his or her private office who can then seek guidance from the permanent secretary.”

He ended with some short remarks on party funding reform, promising to accept a cap on individual donations of £50,000 [the recent Kelly report recommended a cap of £10,000] so long as this applies equally to trade unions – the source of 80 per cent of Labour’s funds. We’ll get an indication of Ed Miliband’s thoughts on this subject when he responds to Francis Maude’s Commons statement on party funding at 3:30pm.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday - from the New Statesman. Sign up directly at saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. Sign up directly at morningcall.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
What will it take to support green growth in the UK?
Boosting the power of Britain’s creative industries
Strengthening the UK's clinical trial ecosystem