Tony Blair could make 'large donation' to Labour

[T_i_B]

Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)

Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, is considering making a "large donation" to the Labour Party to help it fill a hole in its finances.

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, is being urged to seek new donors as the unions prepare to slash party funding.

It emerged last night that Mr Blair, who is worth a reported £70million, is in discussions with senior Labour figures about making a sizeable donation.

His support is likely to be welcomed by Mr Miliband, both politically and financially.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/10676700/Tony-Blair-could-make-large-donation-to-Labour.html

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So the UK Labour party is to go back to being Tony Blair's personal plaything again....

[LeftishBrit]

1. And what will he be demanding in return?

And how does he get to be worth 70 million quid? Being a Labour PM isn't supposed to be a way of making a fortune for yourself.

[brooklynite]

4. I suspect the same way Bill Clinton did...

...both were heavily in demand for speeches after leaving office.

[GeorgeGist]

2. The spoils of war ...

eh Tony?

[warrant46]

3. His Master's Voice

[hrmjustin]

5. ick! I thought the UK had public financing of elections.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Not for elections, but for general running costs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_funding_in_the_United_Kingdom

They can't buy political ads on TV, but they do get short (5 minutes or so) spots, without charge, occasionally over time, and more in the final month before an election. The frequency of these depends on how successful the party has been in the past and how many candidates it's putting up in the country. Here, for example, is a list of the 2009 broadcasts for the 2009 EU parliament elections: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8034355.stm