MAIL ONLINE: David Cameron is offering rich businessmen the chance to dine with him – if they give £50,000 a year to the Conservative Party.
Donors can enjoy exclusive lunches after Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, or meet the Premier at drinks receptions and campaign launches.
They can also mingle with other senior Cabinet members in what critics call a clear case of ‘cash for access’ – with the wealthy buying the chance to put their case directly to the Prime Minister.
It comes just months after Mr Cameron made a major speech attacking the murky world of ‘secret corporate lobbying’.
The donor clubs began when Mr Cameron was Leader of the Opposition, but the Tories admitted yesterday that the Leader’s Group, which allows businessmen to rub shoulders with the Premier, still exists.
According to the party’s website, for an annual payment of £50,000 ‘members are invited to join David Cameron and other senior figures from the Conservative Party at dinners, post-PMQ lunches, drinks receptions, election result events and important campaign launches’.
The group’s chairman is merchant banker Howard Leigh. £50k to dine with Dave: Wealthy Tory donors buy access to PM >>> Daniel Martin | Friday, August 27, 2010
This is not the way to conduct oneself as a prime minister. Such behaviour brings the honorable office into disrepute. Cameron is behaving like a second-hand car salesman; further, he has no understanding of the meaning of the word ‘democracy’. Democracy means government for the people, by the people, not for and by the select, rich few. Britain is neither an oligarchy nor an aristocracy. If this is the way Cameron is going to conduct the affairs of state, then we, the electorate, have been truly CONNED by this Conservative, by this sleaze merchant! – © Mark
