Today’s Observer headlines a lot of what is wrong with British politics. A major political party is endebted to a rich overseas financier of dubious probity to fund its election campaign. It is not new and it belies David Cameron’s attempt to paint a new picture of the Tory Party. Michael Ashcroft is currently bankrolling the Tory campaigns in marginal seats where they presume the next general election will be won. He is paying for lots of glossy Tory leaflets to be distributerd in places like Reading West, he is paying for telephone banks to phone residents in key areas like Tilehurst. In doing so he is undermining our very democracy. No party should be beholden to a rich businessman who does not even live and pay tax in the UK.

Todays story shows that Mr Ashcroft apart from being given a peerage, and funding the  Tory campaign (his companies also provide jet flights for leading Tories), he is also being taken with them on trips abroad. So, for instance, he recently accompanied William Hague to the USA. We should all be asking why ? What other reason would there be for meeting top US Governemnt officials ? He is pushing his business interests on the back of legitimate ToryParty activities. And he can do this because he funds them.

This is no way to clean up British politics.

Michael Ashcroft should be evicted from the House of Lords and sent back to Belize where he made his fortune and where he apparently still feels ‘at home’, until and unless he feels able to pay taxes on his income like the rest of us.

So when the Tories next come canvassing in Tilehurst (and they are busy phoning residents right now, and will surely be knocking on doors very soon),  just ask about who funds the campaign and why are the Tories peddling business for rich tax exiles like Mr Ashcroft.

The Observer article is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/01/lord-ashcroft-conservative-party  .