30 Sep 2024
Just a few short weeks since giving her maiden speech in the House of Commons, newly-elected Harpenden MP Victoria Collins is already making a name for herself – appearing in the top 10 list for Parliamentary donations.
A new initiative by Sky News and Tortoise Media, the Westminster Accounts aims to provide transparency in UK politics and illuminate the influence of money.
Using easily-understood graphics, it reveals MPs’ earnings outside their taxpayer-funded salary, alongside donations from businesses and individuals to them and their parties, and also aims to highlight how interest groups use Parliament for their specific agendas.
The fully searchable database reveals that the 23 donations, gifts, payments and other benefits which Victoria has declared so far are worth the equivalent of £120,600.
The value of these interests put her in the top two per cent of all MPs, and since the start of the current Parliament, only seven members have taken in more money than she has done.
The largest single item was a donation worth £15,000 from a supporter called John Cooper, who also donated an additional £10,000.
Victoria’s top five sources of donations are Mr Cooper, Immensa Management (£10,000), and individuals Lucy Hinchcliffe (£12,000) and Joel Bellman (£10,000), but these are only the largest donors registered.
All of the donations Victoria received were given before polling day, although they could not be declared until after she became a Member of Parliament.
We directly asked Victoria why she was placed so highly for donations compared to her peers, and what this money will be used for? Additionally, we asked who John Cooper was and why he had been so generous in his support, and whether she thought this level of transparency was good for democracy? Finally, we wanted to know whether she was involved in any other consultancy roles.
We received a response from her spokesperson which didn’t answert those questions: “In the last 18 months since being a candidate Victoria has been blown away by the support she and the Liberal Democrats have received for the General Election campaign, and the desire to get rid of the Conservatives.
“A lot of that support came as financial donations to help run a campaign for the brand new seat of Harpenden and Berkhamsted.
“The generous support from many donors helped to pay for an office, staff, and campaign materials which helped us to a historic victory. Not only did we win but we won by 10,708 votes and 75% of the turnout – one of the highest turnouts in the country.
“Victoria and the team are very grateful for the support the Liberal Democrats have seen. Since her election she has got right to work as the new MP for Harpenden & Berkhamsted campaigning on health and social care, the cost of living crisis, sewage and many local issues.”
They stressed that donations came from a range of people and all donors are checked for eligibility according to electoral rules.
SADC Conservative group deputy leader Cllr Matt Cowley said: “I’m sure local residents will think our new MP has questions to answer about what donors are getting for their £120k of donations at a time when money is tight for all of us.
“And with a register of interests that implies that – far from the locally focussed MP we were promised – there have been just seven days this Parliament where Ms Collins hasn’t had either a highly paid consultancy role or been a Lib Dem front bench spokesperson, people in Harpenden will soon start to have questions about the value for money we are getting from our MP.”
We have been asked to point out that Victoria’s consultancy role was actually registered in error and she has not held this position since September 2023.
