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28
Aug 2024
Donations to new Harrogate and Knaresborough MP revealed
New Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon received almost £50,000 in donations for his general election campaign.
The first register of members’ financial interests published since the election on July 4 reveal Mr Gordon received £48,500 from 11 donors.
According to the register, the 11 donations were all from private individuals. The sums and names of donors are:
- £10,000 Mark Lord
- £9,000 Stephen Jones
- £5,000 Matthew Oakeshott
- £5,000 Matthew Taylor
- £5,000 Philip Broadbank (the Lib Dem councillor for Fairfax and Starbeck on North Yorkshire Council)
- £3,000 Howard Marshall
- £3,000 Michael McHugh
- £2,500 Mark Petterson
- £2,000 Carl Michel
- £2,000 Jeanette Marshall
- £2,000 Anne Jones
Mr Gordon ended Conservative Andrew Jones' 14-year stint as Harrogate and Knaresborough MP when he received 46% of the vote, compared with Mr Jones' 30%.
We asked Mr Gordon if he could provide any further details on who the donors are and what the donations were for. He replied:
New MPs are required to disclose any donations to either themselves or their local political parties in the 12 months prior to their election.
All declarations in my register of interests were made to the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats to help deliver our winning campaign, where we overturned a 9,675 Conservative majority with a 16% swing.
Unlike Labour and the Conservatives, we are not funded by the unions or big business. We rely on donations from local members and supporters, with donations going towards office costs, staffing costs and production of campaign literature.
Sir Julian Smith and Sir Alec Shelbrooke
The register also reveals Sir Julian Smith, the re-elected Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, received a total of £10,001 from one private donor and two corporate ones.
He received £5,0001 from Brian McConville, £3,000 from Lancaster-based Wenningdale Leisure Ltd and £2,000 from Harrogate-based Yorkshire Land Ltd.
Sir Alec Shelbrooke, who was elected as Conservative MP for the new Wetherby and Easingwold constituency, received a donation for his campaign fund worth £4,999 from Northallerton-based Oakdale Farms Ltd.
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