Skip to main content

The funding from energy and property tycoons that bankrolled Welsh Conservative MP Alun Cairns' election campaign




The Vale of Glamorgan MP received thousands over the last year

Alun Cairn MP's election campaign last year was bankrolled with the help of a London property developer and a Ukrainian energy tycoon, we can reveal.

We have looked through the declarations of interest of Welsh MPs to see who they have received funding from in the run up to December's election last year.

Our investigation shows that former Welsh Secretary Mr Cairns, who resigned after questions emerged over his support for an aide who collapsed a rape trial, received significant funds from the property and energy industries.

Over last decade, the Vale of Glamorgan MP and former AM has received several large donations as well as tickets to expensive events.

In June last year Mr Cairns received a £5,000 donation from Ukrainian Alexander Temerko.

Mr Temerko is a Ukrainian-born oil and gas businessman who was previously an arms tycoon. Last year Reuters wrote a profile of him in which they described the Brexit-supporter as a "former Russian tycoon who quietly wields influence in the British PM race".

His companies have been engaged in a range of infrastructure sectors including  offshore oil and gasoffshore renewablesinterconnectors  and onshore gas.

In total, Temerko has given Conservative politicians more than £1m since the Kremlin-connected entrepreneur obtained British citizenship in 2011. Reuters reported that he supported efforts to oust former PM Theresa May and aired the fears of critics who question his influence on UK politics.

The most donation to Mr Cairns came from one of Mr Termerko's companies - AQUIND Ltd.

This is not the first time Termerko has given Mr Cairns cash. In April 2014 he gave another £5,000 in a personal donation. This was followed in September of the same year with £5,000 but this time from another one of his companies - Offshore Group Newcastle Ltd.

It was not just Temerko who contributed to the Swansea-born politician's election campagn.

London based property developer Marc Pennick gave him £2,000 in September last year and then another £1,000 in November, right on the eve of the election.

This adds up to £8,000, over 50% of the £15,179.20 Mr Cairns spent on the election.

On three previous occasions Mr Pennick had donated money to Mr Cairns

These donations added up to an additional £11,500 on top of the £8,000 donated last year.

Mr Pennick is a partner at property development company Avanton. Incidentally, Alun Cairns' former cabinet colleague Sir Michael Fallon is the non executive chairman at Avonton. Sir Michael was resigned as defence secretary following allegations of lewd and inappropriate behaviour.

When WalesOnline approached Mr Pennick asking why he was financially backing an MP in south Wales, he replied: "My donations are made directly from me. Nothing to do with Avanton.

"I make numerous donations to the Conservative Party and individual MP’s.

"My donations to Alun Cairns MP was made because he’s a bloody good MP and works hard for his constituents."

What else has Mr Cairns previously declared?

  • Mr Cairns also received two tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show in both 2011 and 2012 worth over £2,200. This came from a Japanese tobacco company.
  • This was at the same time he voted against a bill banning smoking in cars carrying children and vocally opposed plain packaging on cigarettes.

Mr Cairns also continues to make an income from renting out the Cardiff flat he funded by the tax payer during his time as an Assembly Member.

When we called and emailed Mr Cairns he refused to respond to our requests for comment.

The other MPs receiving funds from Alexander Temerko

Mr Cairns was replaced as Welsh secretary by Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart and there are some strange similarities between the pair.

Mr Hart has also received some serious cash from Mr Temerko. In 2014 he gave Simon Hart £10,000 from his Offshore Group Newcastle company.

In May 2014, he also accepted two tickets to the Chelsea Flower show worth £1,404.00 from Japan Tobacco International.

Just three months before that, Mr Hart was one of only 24 MPs who voted against tabled amendments to the Children and Families Bill which would enable the UK government to:

  1. Introduce regulations requiring plain packaging for tobacco products
  2. Introduce regulations making it an offence to sell e-cigarettes to children under 18
  3. Make it an offence for an adult to buy cigarettes for anyone under the age of 18

Two years earlier, Hart was one of 50 MPs who wrote to then Health Secretary Andrew Lansley expressing serious concerns over the government's plain packaging proposals.

He said: "There is no reliable evidence that plain packaging will have any public health benefit; no country in the world has yet to introduce it. However, such a measure could have extremely negative consequences elsewhere."

When we called and emailed Mr Hart refused to respond to our requests for comment.

The recently departed Welsh MP Guto Bebb has also received cash from Mr Temerko totally £24,167 during his time in office.

Fossil fuels funding the Conservative Party?

Other investigations have also found links between the Conservative Party and pollutors.

The Conservative Party received nearly £1.5 million of donations from polluting interests and funders of climate science denial in the past three months, DeSmog analysis shows.

The gifts,  published  last week by the Electoral Commission, include £12,500 from London City Airport to the “1922 Committee” of backbench Tory MPs and £20,000 from a company that produces steel for North Sea oil rigs. The majority of the party’s donations came from the heavy machinery firm JCB, which has made two donations of £700,000 since the election.



Show more

The latest  Register of MPs’ Interests  shows Home Secretary  Priti Patel  was among those who received a total of £21,000 from current or past backers of the  Global Warming Policy Foundation  (GWPF), the UK’s principal climate science denial lobby group.

Responding to DeSmog's analysis, Labour's Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Alan Whitehead, said the findings cast doubt on the Conservative party's commitment to its climate agenda. “Businesses rarely hand over money for no reason. The question for the Conservative Party is, what have these companies bought?” he asked.


Popular posts from this blog

Lib Dems Propose New Bill to Protect Welsh Farmers

  The Liberal Democrats have proposed new legislation to protect Welsh farmers from being undercut by food trade deals that do not meet the UK’s environment and animal welfare standards.   The plans, set out in a private member’s bill from Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Rural Affairs Tim Farron MP, would require the government’s Trade and Agriculture Commission to assess the impact of any new trade deal on UK farmers, and guarantee that MPs had the final say on trade deals initiated by the government.   This would include an assessment of the impact of new trade deals on farming communities in each region and nation of the UK.   Farron’s Bill comes after concern was raised by farmers unions and the Welsh Liberal Democrats that the Government’s new trade deal with Australia will not include a Welsh-specific impact assessment. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS and Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson Tim Farron MP Commenting on his...

A recall petition has opened to decide if a Tory MP convicted for a false expenses claim will keep his seat.

Chris Davies tried to split the cost of photographs between two office budgets by faking invoices , when he could have claimed the amount by other means. Brecon and Radnorshire voters wanting to sign the petition will be able to do so until Thursday 20 June in six locations in the constituency. A by-election will be held if 10% of the electorate - 5,303 voters - sign. Mr Davies would be able to contest a by-election, if one takes place. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow confirmed the recall petition last month , after Mr Davies was given a community order of 50 hours unpaid work and a £1,500 fine, at Southwark Crown Court. In a statement, Mr Davies has apologised to his constituents for "making such an error", saying he very much hopes to continue serving Brecon and Radnorshire. Constituents can sign the petition at venues in Llandrindod Wells, Brecon, Presteigne, Ysytradgynlais, Hay-on-Wye and Crickhowell. Apart from Spring Bank ...

Welsh Lib Dems voice support for Flintshire lagoon plan

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have voiced their support for the Flintshire Tidal Lagoon project unveiled by Port of Mostyn. The plans published would see a 6.7 kilometre lagoon, stretching from the breakwater at Mostyn to Point of Ayr in Flintshire, constructed to produce renewable green energy.  The project, with a price tag of £590 million, would see enough low carbon electricity generated to power 82,000 homes in the north of Wales. It would also create around 300 jobs during the construction phase, with up to 30 high-skilled permanent posts after it was completed. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long championed Tidal Power, leading the campaign for the Swansea Tidal Lagoon and calling for major investment in renewable energy sources to power a green recovery post-Covid. Chris Twells, Lead Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Candidate for North Wales, said: "As we leave lockdown and begin to look towards the future, we need to be ambitious and be investing in the jobs of the ...