figures from both the UK and Scottish groups gave a donor an “exclusive” look at their unreleased financial services policy after accepting a £150,000 donation, it has emerged.
The private roundtable was held just ten days after Labour accepted a £150,000 donation from Bloomberg Trading Facility Limited, a subsidiary firm ultimately controlled by US billionaire and politician Michael Bloomberg.In a now-deleted post on LinkedIn, one staffer said the firms present at the meeting had been given “an exclusive dive into Labour’s launch of the financial services review”.
That website reported Labour sources as calling the meeting “suspicious” and “highly unusual” due to the sheer number of high-ranking party politicians in attendance.Simon Youel, the head of policy at campaign group Positive Money, told openDemocracy that the meeting raised"serious concerns around cash for access in our democracy".
A Bloomberg spokesperson said: “Bloomberg entities have a long history of donating to both of the UK’s main political parties. As Electoral Commission records show, we have a track record of relative parity of support across both Labour and the Conservatives over multiple years.We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories.