The Electoral Commission has cleared as legal £5.1m of donations to the Conservatives from a firm belonging to Lord Ashcroft, the BBC understands. The commission has ruled that the donations by Bearwood Corporate Services were "legal and permissible", sources have told the BBC. Firms must be "carrying on business in the UK" to be allowed to donate money to British political parties. The donations probe is separate to the row over Lord Ashcroft's tax status.
Bearwood Corporate Services made a total of 173 donations to the Conservatives totalling £5.1m between February 2003 and February 2008, according to Electoral Commission figures. This is in addition to £111,726 in personal donations made by Lord Ashcroft and £569,439 from his wife, Susan Anstey, over the same period. Much of the money has been spent in marginal seats which are seen as being key to the result of the forthcoming general election.
Smug? Moi?
