It is (or was) so rare for the Lib Dems to attract big donations that a £250,000 gift to the party is striking. In the Electoral Commission announcement today is a sum of that level from Brompton Capital, a firm owned by Rumi Verjee, the entrepreneur.
Verjee owns Thomas Goode, the Mayfair store, and is apparently friends with the likes of Elton John and Lord Snowdon. He qualified as a barrister before launching the first UK franchise of Domino’s Pizza in the 1980s.
He has a CBE for charitable work and is the son of Jimmy Verjee, well-known as a philanthropist in Uganda. Verjee has also been a shareholder in Watford football club although it is not clear whether that is still the case.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey