More Wolverhampton Conservative sleaze?

8.57.50am GMT Mon 2nd Oct 2006

The last few days have seen stories about the Midlands Industrial Council appearing in the newspapers and on television. Some may recall I mentioned in March the connection between the Midlands Industrial Council Wolverhampton South West Conservatives and the 2005 General Election Conservative Candidate Sandip Verma.

The story that has made the media this weekend is about who is behind the Midlands Industrial Council and if it's donations are transparent and above board. Even if there was something dodgy, which I am not saying there is, I am sure that the people involved, whoever they may be, are clever enough to have checked everything with lawyers.

The other question being raised is the use of, and funding of, Coleshill Manor. Coleshill Manor home to Constituency Campaigning Services (CCS), a strategy centre charged with targeting 164 marginal seats, as both a campaign centre and a call centre. Interestingly the last Wolverhampton South West Conservative leaflet I saw was from CCS. Constituency Campaigning Services and the Constituency Campaigning Services Board, also based at the centre, are funded, to the tune of a £1m per year, by the Midlands Industrial Council, most of whose members are anonymous donors. Coleshill Manor is also owned by, yes you guessed it, Robert Edmiston, through a company called IM Properties(Coleshill) Ltd.

Now what I wrote about in March was that Sandip Verma was given a peerage after the General Election, amongst the other Conservative nominees for a Peerage as was Robert Edmiston - although he was refused. The Midlands Industrial Council donated £20,000 to Wolverhampton Conservatives according the the Electoral Commission £15,000 to Wolverhampton South West in November 2004 and £5,000 to Wolverhampton North East in March 2005 (no donations are yet published for after May 2005). Now none of was illegal but I am told various reporters are looking to see if there is a link between donations and peerages, not just donations made but looking to see if the Midlands Industrial Council may have influenced other nominations.

My phone has been ringing red hot this weekend from journalists and other political types. I have a feeling this story is not over yet.

Related Link:

My original story