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Tories solicited cash for Werritty

October 18, 2011 21:34
liam fox

ByMartin Bright, Martin Bright

2 min read

Senior Conservatives actively sought donations from wealthy Jewish businessmen to fund organisations run by Liam Fox’s friend Adam Werritty, the JC can reveal. The operation was part of a broader fundraising drive within the Jewish community authorised by David Cameron’s personal friend and party co-chairman Lord Feldman, although there is no suggestion he was involved in the Werritty transactions.

One senior community source told the JC that the Fox-Werritty story was about the Conservative Party raising funds, not about businessmen buying access. “The Tory party, over a number of years, sought a particular type of support from the Jewish community, on a particular basis,” he said.

On Tuesday, the report into the matter by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell revealed that Mick Davis, chair of the executive committee of the Jewish Leadership Council, was the latest high-profile member of the Jewish community to have given money to fund Mr Werritty’s not-for-profit company Pargav.

Property billionaire Poju Zabludowicz, chair of Israel advocacy group Bicom, and Michael Lewis, its former vice-chair, were drawn into the scandal after it was revealed they had funded some of Mr Werritty’s operations. Both men are Tory donors, but it is understood that they are furious at suggestions that they received any benefit or access from the payments.