These are the 38 MPs who have received donations from Aquind & co
34 sitting MPs, 4 former MPs (one now a Lord); all of them are Tories
[N.B. I will try to update this page periodically; all reporting is currently accurate as of 11 October 2021]
Since February 2012, the Conservative Party has accepted £1,577,716.98 in donations from parties related to Aquind Limited—the company currently awaiting planning consent for its subsea interconnector.
Until late 2015, Aquind was the subsidiary of Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN) Limited, a company that primarily manufactured offshore oil rigs. OGN donated £474,775 to the Conservatives before the business was wound up.
Alexander Temerko, who owns 1% of Aquind’s total share capital, but 50% of the voting shares, has personally donated £731,176.98 to the party. He has also been the vice-president of the Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association for more than five years, and was reported to be “eyeing a run for the role of London Mayor” at the start of 2021.
Aquind itself has donated a further £371,765 in just the last three years.
Below are the names of all 38 MPs, current and former, who have received financial assistance from Aquind & co — either by directly funding their office, or by funding their constituency Conservative party branch — in order of how much they’ve received:
1. Jeremy Hunt - £72,500
Conservative MP for South West Surrey
£2,500.00 from Aquind Limited, 10/07/2019
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 24/07/2019
£10,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 09/08/2019
£15,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 24/09/2019
£10,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 31/01/2020
£15,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 20/10/2020
£15,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 15/02/2021
Hunt first received a donation from Aquind in July 2019, when he was running against Boris Johnson in the election to replace Theresa May as the Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party.
A month earlier, Alexander Temerko had publicly declared he was backing Hunt’s campaign, despite having earlier declared his hope that Johnson would replace the sitting PM (first Cameron and then May) several times over the preceding years.
2. Andrew Percy - £48,000
Conservative MP for Brigg & Goole
£10,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/09/2014
£10,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 05/05/2017
£6,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 11/03/2019
£10,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 31/10/2019
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 30/04/2020
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 21/05/2020
£2,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 17/03/2021
3. Nigel Adams - £33,800
Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty
Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office), since 15 September 2021.
£15,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 17/01/2016
£16,300.00 from Alexander Temerko, 13/07/2016
£2,500.00 from Alexander Temerko, 11/08/2017
4. Brandon Lewis - £33,450
Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, since 13 February 2020.
£10,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 03/07/2014
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 12/05/2016
£1,750.00 from Alexander Temerko, 12/05/2016
£3,750.00 from Alexander Temerko, 21/03/2017
£7,500.00 from Alexander Temerko, 15/11/2017
£5,450.00 from Alexander Temerko, 18/06/2018
5. Simon Hart - £31,231.66
Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
Secretary of State for Wales, since 16 December 2019.
£6,666.66 from Alexander Temerko, 22/02/2016
£2,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 15/02/2019
£22,565.00 from Aquind Limited, 19/03/2019
6. Tom Pursglove - £26,666.66
Conservative MP for Corby
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office), since 19 September 2021.
£10,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/09/2014*
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 12/01/2015*
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 15/12/2015
£6,666.66 from Alexander Temerko, 25/02/2016
[N.B. While the first two donations were made prior to his election as an MP, Pursglove had already been selected as the Tory candidate for Corby.]
7. Alok Sharma - £25,000
Conservative MP for Reading West
COP26 President (Cabinet Office), since 8 January 2021.
£15,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 08/07/2014
£10,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 29/10/2019
Alok Sharma was appointed Business Secretary in February 2020. During only his second week in the job, Sharma shared a table with Temerko and his fellow Aquind director, Kirill Glukhovskoy, at the Conservatives’ annual Black and White fundraising ball. The company paid £12,000 for the table.
8. James Wharton - £25,000
former Conservative MP for Stockton South
£10,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 11/11/2013
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 17/03/2014
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 01/07/2015
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 24/02/2016
In August 2017, months after Wharton had lost his seat, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) gave its blessing to his appointment as “a part-time, paid, strategic advisor” to Aquind Limited. ACOBA is an advisory body aimed at preventing a ‘revolving door’ between law-makers and the private sector. A few months prior to the decision, it was branded a “toothless regulator” by the House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
Wharton went on to become the campaign manager of Boris Johnson’s successful bid for the Conservative Party leadership and was rewarded by the now Prime Minister with a life peerage. In September 2020, he took up a seat in the House of Lords as Baron Wharton of Yarm, and – according to his LinkedIn profile – remains in his role advising the board of Aquind.
9. Chris Heaton-Harris - £20,000
Conservative MP for Daventry
Minister of State (Department for Transport), since 25 July 2019.
£20,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 18/05/2016
10. Simon Clarke - £20,000
Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, since 16 September 2021.
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 14/09/2018
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 10/06/2019
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 25/07/2019
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 26/04/2021
11. Dr Liam Fox - £20,000
Conservative MP for North Somerset
£10,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 17/05/2016
£10,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 24/03/2021
12. Alun Cairns - £20,000
Conservative MP for Vale of Glamorgan
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 12/05/2014
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/09/2014
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 03/02/2016
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 13/06/2019
13. John Whittingdale - £18,000
Conservative MP for Maldon
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 27/03/2015
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 05/05/2017
£8,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 19/11/2019
14. Anne-Marie Trevelyan - £17,110
Conservative MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed
Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, since 15 September 2021.
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 30/07/2013*
£900.00 from Alexander Temerko, 22/10/2013*
£2,970.00 from Alexander Temerko, 28/03/2014*
£1,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 10/07/2014*
£3,400.00 from Alexander Temerko, 10/12/2014*
£2,840.00 from Alexander Temerko, 25/03/2015*
£1,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 29/09/2015
[N.B. While all but the most recent donation were made prior to her election as an MP, Trevelyan had already stood as the Tory candidate for Berwick-upon-Tweed in the 2010 general election, establishing her constituency as a target seat for the party.]
15. Guto Bebb - £16,666.66
former Conservative MP for Aberconwy
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 26/03/2014
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 17/09/2014
£6,666.66 from Alexander Temerko, 24/02/2016
16. Karen Bradley - £11,000
Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands
£11,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 06/03/2019
17. Conor Burns - £11,000
Conservative MP for Bournemouth West
Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office), since 16 September 2021.
£10,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 02/12/2019
18. Gavin Barwell - £10,000
former Conservative MP for Croydon Central
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 24/02/2015
19. Michael Ellis - £10,000
Conservative MP for Northampton North
Paymaster General, since 16 September 2021.
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 13/11/2013
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 05/02/2014
20. Mark Garnier - £10,000
Conservative MP for Wyre Forest
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 02/02/2015
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 15/12/2015
21. Rishi Sunak - £6,000
Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks)
Chancellor of the Exchequer, since 13 February 2020.
£6,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 27/04/2015*
[N.B. While the donation was made prior to his election as an MP, Sunak had already been selected as the Tory candidate for Richmond (Yorks).]
22. Will Quince - £5,750
Conservative MP for Colchester
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education), since 16 September 2021.
£5,750.00 from Alexander Temerko, 22/07/2019
23. Craig Whittaker - £5,000
Conservative MP for Calder Valley
Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip), since 20 September 2021.
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 15/12/2014
24. Mary Robinson - £5,000
Conservative MP for Cheadle
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 15/12/2014
25. Martin Vickers - £5,000
Conservative MP for Cleethorpes
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 15/12/2014
26. Jason McCartney - £5,000
Conservative MP for Colne Valley
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
27. Robert Halfon - £5,000
Conservative MP for Harlow
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
28. Chris Skidmore - £5,000
Conservative MP for Kingswood
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
29. Iain Stewart - £5,000
Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office), since 2 June 2020.
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014*
[N.B. the donation was reported to have been received by the Milton Keynes South West Conservative party association. Milton Keynes South West constituency had ceased to exist prior to the 2010 general election, and was replaced by Milton Keynes South, which has been represented by Stewart ever since. I am working on the assumption this is a transcription error, and the donation was received by the Milton Keynes South Conservative party association.]
30. David Morris - £5,000
Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 08/04/2021
31. Justin Tomlinson - £5,000
Conservative MP for North Swindon
£5,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 10/12/2014
32. Sheryll Murray - £5,000
Conservative MP for South East Cornwall
£5,000.00 Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
33. Robert Buckland - £5,000
Conservative MP for South Swindon
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
34. Mark Pritchard - £5,000
Conservative MP for The Wrekin
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 12/06/2019
35. Sarah Newton - £5,000
former Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
36. Joy Morrissey - £5,000
Conservative MP for Beaconsfield
£5,000.00 from Aquind Limited, 21/08/2018*
[N.B. While the donation was made prior to her election as an MP, it was made to her by name. She had previously stood as the Tory candidate for Ealing Central & Acton in the 2017 general election.]
37. Robin Walker - £5,000
Conservative MP for Worcester
Minister of State (Education), since 16 September 2021.
£5,000.00 from Offshore Group Newcastle Limited, 18/12/2014
38. James Davies - £3,000
Conservative MP for Vale of Clwyd
£3,000.00 from Alexander Temerko, 28/01/2016