Wikipedia

Michael Ashcroft

(Redirected fromLord Ashcroft)
This article is about the businessman and politician. For the Second World War cryptanalyst, seeMichael Arbuthnot Ashcroft.For the Olympic sport shooter, seeMichael Ashcroft (sport shooter).

Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft,KCMG,PC(born 4 March 1946)[1]is a British-Belizeanbusinessman,pollsterand politician. He is a former deputychairman of the Conservative Party.Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972[2][3]and was the 132nd richest person in the UK, as ranked by theSunday TimesRich List 2021,with an estimated fortune of £1.257 billion.[4]

The Right Honourable
The Lord Ashcroft
KCMGPC
Ashcroft in 2015
Born
Michael Anthony Ashcroft

(1946-03-04)4 March 1946(age 78)
Chichester,West Sussex, England
Citizenship
Education
Alma materAnglia Ruskin University
Occupation(s)Businessman, politician
Known for
Political partyConservative
Spouses
Wendy Burrell
​
​
(m.1972, div. 1984)​
Susan Anstey
​
(m.1986)​
Children3

He was created alife peerin 2000, and sat on the Conservative benches of theHouse of Lordsuntil resigning in 2015. TheCabinet Officestated that he would take up permanent residence in the UK for tax purposes,[5][6]but it was reported a decade later that he had not done so.[7][8]

Ashcroft holds dual British and Belizean nationality, and is abelongerof theTurks and Caicos Islands.

Early life and education

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Ashcroft'sbustIn thelobbyof the Lord Ashcroft Building at thebusiness schoolofAnglia Ruskin UniversityinCambridge,from where he earned aHigher National Diplomainbusiness studies.

Michael Anthony Ashcroft[9]was born inChichester,West Sussex.[10]His father Eric was a British colonial civil servant; Ashcroft spent some of his early years inBritish Honduras(nowBelize) andMalawi.[citation needed]

He was educated atNorwich School,Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe,andMid-Essex Technical College (now Anglia Ruskin University),where he obtained aHigher National DiplomainBusiness studies.[11][1]

Business career

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Following a period in Belize after completing his education, Ashcroft returned tohitch hikearound Europe, and then for a short period of time became the manager of a rock and roll band.

In 1967, Ashcroft joinedCarreras Tobaccoas a management trainee.[12]He left Carreras in 1969, joining Pritchard Services Group, a cleaning and business services company, after several months unemployed.[12]In 1972, at the age of 26, he started his own business, Michael A. Ashcroft Associates, which he used to launch several profitable acquisitions.

Acquisitions and divestments

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See also:ADT Security Services

Ashcroft's first acquisition was Uni-Kleen – a loss-makingcleaningcompany with 1,000 employees, which he purchased for just £1 in 1974, with a £15,000 bank loan (equivalent to £200,000 in 2023). He worked to turn the company around, selling it just three years later for £1.3 million.[10][13]

On exiting Uni-Kleen in 1977, his next purchase wasHawley Goodall,another poorly performing company, this time in camping equipment manufacture. Ashcroft used Hawley to make a series of acquisitions, transforming the company into a business services group, ranging from janitorial services for hospitals and offices, tocar auctionservices, and later with a focus on the security services industry. Through the sale of the car auctions division to the fast-expandingBritish Car Auctions(BCA), he formed a lifelong friendship withDavid Wickins,whom he would later help take a majority stake inLotus Cars,as well as provide finance for other joint-ventures.[14]By 1981, Hawley had made its first acquisitions in the United States, and its total revenues had grown to $27 million.[citation needed]

By early 1983, Hawley had built up a 20% stake in pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer Cope Allman. Ashcroft offered to increase his stake to 29.9%, just below the 30% level at which a formal bid for the entire company must be launched. Ashcroft and Cope Allman fought bitterly over the purchase share price and current holdings, with Cope Allman reporting Ashcroft and Wickins to theTakeover panel,after discovering that BCA had built up a 13.5% in the company. But the takeover panel found that Ashcroft and Wickins were operating independently, so Hawley was able to increase its holding to 29.9%. At this point the combined holdings of Hawley and BCA in Cope Allman amounted to 43.5%, giving them the power to introduce sweeping changes without launching a full bid.[14]Cope Allman was eventually sold to an MBO backed by Hawley and financed byBain Capital,and then sold toBowaterin 1992 in a complex swap of assets with ADT/Hawley.[15]

In 1985 Ashcroft and Wickins bought car sales dealershipHenlys Groupvia a Canadian-registered company, Mipec. Controlled by Ashcroft's Hawley Goodall, Henlys was merged with the already-owned funeralhearsemakerColeman Milneto form a motoring division. In 1989, Hawley Goodall sold its motoring division consisting of Henlys and Coleman Milne to thePlaxtonGroup, the bus and coach manufacturer based inScarborough,North Yorkshire.[citation needed]

1987 was a key year for Hawley. In the early part of the year, it bought Crime Control Inc. based in Indianapolis, for $50 million, placing the company in fourth place in the U.S. security market. Later in the year it boughtADT Security Services,the largest electronic security company in the United States. This purchase transformed Hawley into the leading security services business in the United States, and resulted in the majority of its revenues coming from the North American market. As a result of the acquisition,Bermuda-registered Hawley changed its name toADT Inc.and decided to refocus its business around security services. At the end of 1987, the company sold its North American-based facility services business toDenmark'sISS A/S.[citation needed]

In 1987, Ashcroft bought out the existing shareholders of Wickins' BCA via Hawley Goodall. Based atBlackbushe Airportto allow Wickins access to his treasured aviation division, which flew bothJet Rangerhelicopters andBeechcraft King Airturbo prop aircraft, Ashcroft, who has a disliking for such flippant expenditure,[citation needed]immediately sold off the aircraft. Wickins joined the board of Hawley Goodall, remaining there until the Tyco takeover. He retired from BCA in 1990. In 1995, to allow for the Tyco transaction, the group decided to divest itself of BCA. The residual North American arm was sold to trade buyers, while the European arm was sold to a consortium of some 40 private investors, including Ashcroft via his Belize-based investment company. In September 2006, BCA was bought by the UK-basedinvestment bankingarm of private bankSamuel Montagu & Co.,a division ofHSBC,personally netting Ashcroft over £200 million.[16]

In 1997, ADT was sold by areverse takeoverto US conglomerateTyco Internationalfor $6.7 billion, allowing Tyco to become tax-efficient.[17]

Ashcroft disposed of large amounts of the Tyco stock which he had acquired as a result of the sale of ADT, stating that he needed the capital to diversify into other things and that he never retained a substantial stake in any enterprise which he did not control. Ashcroft nevertheless continued as a non-executive director of Tyco, a role he still held in 2002 when Tyco CEODennis Kozlowskiwas arrested in New York in connection with personal tax offences. Unease had already been expressed at Tyco at some of Kozlowski's corporate decisions and Ashcroft was amongst the directors who appointed lawyerDavid Boiesto investigate irregularities in the company.[citation needed]

Belize and cross holdings

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Ashcroft has close business and other connections with the Commonwealth country of Belize, and served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations between 1998 and 2000.[1]In 2009, thePrime Minister of BelizeDean Barrowtold its parliament:[18]

Ashcroft is an extremely powerful man. His net worth may well be equal to Belize's entire GDP. He is nobody to cross.

Barrow also warnedDavid Cameronthat relations with the United Kingdom would be damaged if Ashcroft were given a senior position in government.[19] In 1984 Ashcroft formed Belize Holdings (BHI).[citation needed]

In 1987, BHI led the formation of Belize Bank Holdings (BBH), which took control ofBelize Bankfrom theRoyal Bank of Canada.Belize Bank has become the country's largest financial institution, controlling some 50 per cent of the market. BBH developed local and international interests in facilities services, finance and telecommunications. Belize Bank itself formerly held a majority stake inBelize TelemediaLimited (BTL), until it was nationalised by the Government of Belize.[20]

Other business activities

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Ashcroft also has significant interests in the following companies quoted on theAlternative Investment Market:Restore plc,WeAre20:20[21][22][23]and Impellam Group.[24]

Having attempted a takeover of Corporate Services Group in 1999, in June 2006 he increased his stake to 28.5%, prompting speculation that he might make an offer for the remaining shares in the company. In May 2008 the merger of Carlisle Group and Corporate Services Group to formImpellam Groupwas announced.[25]

In September 2007, Ashcroft agreed to the sale of AIM listed cleaning services supplier OneSource. Based mainly in the United States, it was the old North American cleaning business of ISS that Ashcroft had sold to them when refocusing Hawley in 1987. Bought in 1997 for $1, he agreed the sale of the company at a value of £179m.[26]

In March 2006, he became the major shareholder in English professionalfootballclubWatford,owning up to 42% of the club's shares.[27]In September 2006, he accepted a bid forBritish Car Auctions(BCA) worth £450m, netting him a personal gain of £200m.[citation needed]

Ashcroft has a 72.3% stake inEnglish sparkling wineproducer Gusbourne, which he acquired in 2013 for £7 million.[28]

Personal life

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VP-BZE, Ashcroft's private jet, atBirmingham Airportin 2014

In April 1972, Ashcroft married Wendy Mahoney.[1]They had two sons and one daughter; the marriage was dissolved in 1984.[1]His second marriage in 1986 was to Susan Anstey.[29]The couple have homes in London,Maidenheadin Berkshire, and Belize.[citation needed]

Ashcroft owns aDassault Falcon 7X,registration VP-BZE, via hisBermudianregistered company, Flying Lion.[30]On 27 December 2017, while parked at theMalta International Airport,the plane careened off the apron, smashed into a fence and a road before crashing into an office building. The incident is believed to have occurred after the plane'swheel chockswere blown away due to strong winds. No injuries were reported but the plane suffered extensive damage.[31][32]

He owns two 150-foot (46 m) yachts, both registered in Belize:

Politics

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Conservative Party

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In the UK, he was a major donor to and Treasurer of theConservative Partyfrom 1998 to 2001, underWilliam Hague.His tenure was marked by a number of controversies: he was seen to pay little UKincome taxbecause of his domicile in Belize, and he was at the centre of a debate about openness and accountability of political funding. Unsubstantiated speculation about his business affairs was concluded when he pursued a libel action againstThe Times.This was settled on 9 December 1999, whenThe Timesissued a front-page statement saying "The Times is pleased to confirm that it has no evidence that Mr Ashcroft or any of his companies have ever been suspected of money-laundering or drug-related crimes... Litigation between the parties has been settled to mutual satisfaction, with each side bearing its own costs."[35][36]

In 2004, he clashed with Conservative leaderMichael Howardwhen he offered a £2m donation on the condition that it should go to his specified candidates rather than into generalConservative Central Officefunds. Ashcroft stated in 2005: "I much prefer to be involved, to make sure that my investment is wisely placed."[37]

In December 2005, he was appointedDeputy chairmanof theConservative Party.[38]During the "Cash for Peerages"controversy, on 31 March 2006 Ashcroft was named by the Conservative Party as having lent it £3.6m.[39]

Significant donations made to the Conservative Party by Bearwood Corporate Services, a company controlled by Ashcroft, have also come under scrutiny. The trading status of the company, and thus the validity of donations totalling £5.1m between 2003 and 2008, is unclear and became the subject of an investigation by the Electoral Commission begun in October 2008. Both Labour MPs and thePrime Ministerhad called for the process to be concluded in time for thenext general election,due by mid-2010.Liberal DemocratLord Oakeshottstated: "Democracy is in danger if Lord Ashcroft has been pouring millions into Conservative campaigns through an offshore pipeline from a Caribbeantax haven."[37][40][41]However, in March 2010 sources from the Electoral Commission described the donations as being "legal and permissible".[42]

On 1 March 2010, Ashcroft said that he was not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes. On 4 March 2010 theHouse of CommonsPublic Administrationselect committeedecided to hold a "special one-off inquiry" into Ashcroft's peerage and his tax affairs. The committee's three Conservative MPs are said to have refused to take part in the inquiry.[43]

In September 2010, Ashcroft announced he would be stepping down as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. His resignation came as he published Minority Verdict, his critical analysis of why the Conservative Party failed to gain an overall majority in thegeneral election;leading to the Conservatives forming theCoalition governmentwiththe Liberal Democrats.He was replaced by the MPMichael Fallon.[44]

In 2012,The Daily Telegraphcredited Ashcroft, owner of both theConservativeHomeand PoliticsHome website with "stopping the Coalition working", by moving policy on Europe, welfare, education and taxation to the right.[45]Prior to the 2010 election, Cameron gave Ashcroft a large office and a significant role in the election campaign but he received no reward in the form of ministerial job.[45] Although claiming not to exercise editorial control, Ashcroft, a "brutal critic of the Coalition from the start" has established "megaphone presence" in the online media and the Lib Dems are described as blocking economic and welfare system reforms.[45]The parties have separate and contradictory agendas and—as exemplified byMichael Gove's education reforms intended for Tory ears only'-do not even consult each other.[45] Cameron's philosophy of liberal conservatism has been destroyed by "coordinated attacks on the Coalition."[45]Although voters may have liked Coalition government, "the two parties are no longer trying to pretend that they are governing together" and Cameron seems unwilling to celebrate midterm successes.[45]"Ashcroft, who has been against it all along, looks like getting his way."[45]

Ashcroft became the largest donor to the Conservative's candidate for the 2021London mayoral election.Of the £255,000 raised by the candidate,Shaun Bailey,Ashcroft donated £100,000.[46]

In 2022, he published a book about the wife of the then Prime MinisterBoris Johnson,Carrie Symonds,to whom he attributed a negative influence on her husband.[47]

Peerage

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On 31 March 2000, Ashcroft was appointed as alife peer,[48]and the titleBaron Ashcroft,of Chichester in the County of West Sussexwasgazettedon 20 October 2000, the last creation of the millennium.[49]He was nominated by Conservative party leaderWilliam Hagueon the condition that he became a UK resident, although at the beginning of 2010 he announced his "non-domiciled" tax status.[7]Ashcroft had announced that he intended to take the title "Baron Ashcroft of Belize", a suggestion that infuriated his political opponents. He later said this had been a joke, and his title was created as simply "Baron Ashcroft".[6][41]

On 31 March 2015, the day after the prorogation of Parliament ahead of the2015 general election,he announced his resignation from the House of Lords with immediate effect, stating he would continue in politics.[50][51][52]

Belize

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Ashcroft allegedly gave thePeople's United Partyin Belize $1m when it was in opposition.[10]During its period in power, it introduced laws that are claimed by opponents and media commentators to be financially advantageous to Ashcroft.[10]

Australia

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Ashcroft has become a significant figure in Australian politics having been identified as the single largest individual donor to any Australian political party during the 2004–05 financial year. TheAustralian Electoral Commissionreported in February 2006 that Ashcroft (who gave his address as "House of Lords, Westminster, London" ) had donated $1 million to theLiberal Partyin September 2004, shortly before the2004 federal election.It was, at the time, the biggest single private donation in Australian political history.[53]He also made donations of $250,000 to the party on 28 July 2010[54]and in September 2013.[55]

UK electoral polling

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Developing from work he did for the Conservative Party in his Deputy chairman role, since 2010.[56]Lord Ashcroft has been a major independent public pollster of British political opinion. This has included polling atconstituencylevel, which is rare in Britishpsephology.[57][58]Lord Ashcroft Polls' results are freely available online[59]and are frequently discussed in various media outlets.[60]

Charity and philanthropy

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In 2013, Ashcroft stated that he has given tens of millions of pounds to good causes over the years.[61]In May 2013, he pledged to donate more than half of his money to good causes, and became a signatory ofThe Giving Pledge.[61][62]

Anti-crime supporter

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Ashcroft is the founder and chairman ofCrimestoppers.[63]

On 12 October 2009, Ashcroft pledged NZ$50,000 for the safe return of two-year-old toddler Aisling Symes. Aisling had gone missing a week earlier inWest Auckland,New Zealand.[64]

In 2022, Ashcroft issued a £100,000 reward in the search for the gunman whokilled Olivia Pratt-KorbelinLiverpool.[65]

Education

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Anglia Ruskin University's Lord Ashcroft Building, opened in 2003 in Chelmsford by HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. It houses the Faculty of Business and Law.

Ashcroft was theChancellorofAnglia Ruskin Universityfrom November 2001 to January 2021.[66][67]He donated £5 million in 1999 for the university's business school atChelmsford,formerly calledLord Ashcroft International Business School,and another £5 million gift in 2009 to create a new business school building in Cambridge.[68]Lord Ashcroft Building in Chelmsford was inaugurated in 2003 and Lord Ashcroft Building in Cambridge was opened in 2011.[69][70]Both business school buildings carry his name. However, the business school was renamed to Faculty of Business and Law at Anglia Ruskin University.[71]

He is the sponsor ofAshcroft Technology Academyin Wandsworth, a state secondary school within the Englishacademyprogramme.[72]

He became the main backer, along withStephan Shakespeare(CEO and co-Founder ofYouGov) of Flooved, aneducation technologystartup.[73]

He has provided a copy ofBritain's Treasure Islandsto every secondary school in the UK and its overseas territories.[74]

Ashcroft is also an Ambassador for the education and veterans charitySkillForcewhich, under Chief ExecutiveBen Sladedevised and developed thePrince William Award.[citation needed]

Environmentalist

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Ashcroft is a whale spotter, through which interest he has financially supported various environmental groups and campaigns. He financially supported theEnvironmental Investigation Agency,who persuaded him to back a television campaign in six Caribbean countries, aimed at coaxing them to withdraw their support for whaling. The countries had received $16 million (£8 million) a year infisheries aid from Japan.The campaign coincided with the 2006International Whaling Commissionconference inSt Kitts.[75]

Military

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Ashcroft has also supported military causes; in September 2011 he hosted a reception at the House of Lords for the launch of the Felix Fund, the charity forbomb disposalexperts and their families.[76][77]

Ashcroft pledged to donate all of the author's royalties from his bookSpecial Forces Heroesto theHelp for Heroescharity,[78]and from his bookGeorge Cross Heroesto theVictoria Cross and George Cross Association.[citation needed]

He donated £1 million of the £7 million cost of theBomber Command Memorialin London'sGreen Park.[citation needed]

Victoria Crosses

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Ashcroft collectsVictoria Crosses,which are awarded for valour and devotion to duty to members of various armed forces.[79]His collection is by far the largest in the world[80]spanning 128 years from acts of valour at the start of theCrimean Warin 1854 to an act of courage during theFalklands Warin 1982. He wroteVictoria Cross Heroesto mark the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross.[81]

Following the theft of a number of Victoria Crosses awarded to New Zealand servicemen from theArmy Museum at Waiouruin late 2007, Ashcroft pledged NZ$200,000 for their return. Those stolen included the VC & Bar ofCharles Upham.The medals were recovered three months later and at a presentation in Wellington on 15 April 2008 he pledged a further NZ$200,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the thefts.[citation needed]

In July 2008, Ashcroft announced a donation of £5 million for a permanent gallery at theImperial War Museum,where the fifty Victoria Crosses held by the museum are now on display alongside his own collection of more than 200 VCs (and a smaller collection ofGeorge Crosses).[82][83]

Controversy

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Tax status

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Ashcroft has been described as a "tax exile",[5]and for a number of years lived in the UK enjoying the controversialnon-domiciled tax status.At the time of his ennoblement the Cabinet Office said that Ashcroft would be taking up permanent residence in the UK for tax purposes,[5]an undertaking described in the newspapers as a "pledge"[6]and a "gentleman's agreement",[5]but he did not in fact claim to do so until a decade later,[7][8]when a change in the law would have required him to quit the Lords, had he not done so.[8]In 2017 it was revealed following theParadise Papersleak of offshore investment documents that Lord Ashcroft remained domiciled in Belize despite having claimed to have given up his non-dom tax status in 2010.[84]The documents also showed that between 2000 and 2010, Ashcroft received payments of around£150 million (US$210 million) from an offshore trust in Bermuda, which as a non-dom he did not have to pay taxes on.[84]

U.S. DEA leak

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In 1999, Ashcroft was first nominated by Conservative Party leader and friendWilliam Haguefor the Lords. During their investigation, theHouse of Lords Appointments Commissionwas fed via the media with certain information, which originated from Jonathan Randel, an intelligence research specialist for the United StatesDrug Enforcement Administration.[citation needed]

Randel leaked Ashcroft's name as being in the DEA's files, although it later emerged that Ashcroft was one of five million people they routinely had files on. Randel claimed that the DEA was ignoring Ashcroft in its investigation ofmoney laundering,allegations whichThe Timesnewspaper later printed on its front page. However, later investigation by various British media sources from information released under theUS Freedom of Information Actshowed that at no point did the DEA personally investigate Ashcroft.[85]

After his second successful nomination to the Lords and his ascent to the house, Ashcroft suedThe Timesin the High Court. The two parties eventually reached an out of court agreement which resulted inRupert Murdochagreeing toThe Timesprinting a full front page retraction of its allegations.[86]Ashcroft later recounted his own side of the story in his bookDirty Politics, Dirty Times.[12]

Business style

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In 2003, Ashcroft was criticised by aHigh Court judge,Mr Justice Peter Smith,inRock (Nominees) Ltd v RCO (Holdings) Plc.[87]Smith condemned Ashcroft's tactics in relation to the takeover of cleaning company RCO by the Danish firm ISS. Smith said,

Euphemistically this practice – which I understand is a not unheard-of practice in the City – is described as "greenmail".The proper word to my mind is blackmail. It is the kind of thing which brings the City into disrepute... Where matters are dealt with in speculation and profits are made, which are then gathered offshore, when there is no merit and no exposure to the kind of risks associated with companies, that to my mind is not legitimate.

— Justice Peter Smith[88]

Smith went on to say that Ashcroft "was not content with a small £250,000 profit earned in a matter of weeks. He now seeks to extract millions."[88]Ashcroft responded by telling journalists that "being accused of blackmail by a man who states that speculation has no part to play in the City is rather like finding that you are sharing a railway carriage with a drunk. It's best not to take too much notice."[88]

In 2008,The Economistran an article on the web of loans and court cases surrounding Belize Bank (owned by Ashcroft), a private hospital company called Universal Health Services and the government of Belize. It was alleged that Belize Bank had wrongly appropriated monies sent from the government of Venezuela for housing purposes to settle debts relating to loans to UHS and illegally guaranteed in secret by the Belizean premier.[89]

The Guardiansaid that sources claimed the bills were paid by a company owned by Ashcroft in Belize, meaning that he did not pay VAT. The newspaper estimated that the total VAT bill could have totalled more than £40,000; however, paying the bill in this way removed the legal obligation to pay VAT.[90]

In 2012, BBC'sPanoramaprogramme alleged that Lord Ashcroft continued to control the Caribbean construction company Johnston International after its sale in 1999 until it went bankrupt in 2010, and that he concealed his continuing control. Ashcroft denied he owned Johnston after 1999, though he avoided answering questions about whether he continued to "control" it.[91]

Call Me Dave

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Ashcroft's bookCall Me Dave:The Unauthorised Biography of David Cameron,published on 5 October 2015, was criticised by Conservative Party sources for containing content which they classified as untrue.[92]In addition to this, the Prime Minister's office argued that Ashcroft published the book to tarnish David Cameron's reputation in revenge for perceived slights to Ashcroft.[93]

Honours

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In the2000 Birthday Honours,on the advice of the Belizean government, he was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George(KCMG) "for public service to the community and country" of Belize.[94]

In 1999, he was given the honorary degree ofDoctor of the UniversitybyAnglia Ruskin University;he would be namedchancellorof the university in 2001.[95]He was chancellor for 20 years and made significant contributions to the university.

He was sworn in as a member of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdomin 2012, entitling him to use thepost-nominal letters"PC" for life. In December, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Holy Trinityby theCrown Council of Ethiopia.[96]

Books

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  • Dirty politics Dirty times: My fight with Wapping and New Labour,2005,Biteback,ISBN9781849540094
  • Smell the Coffee: A Wakeup Call for the Conservative Party,2005,Politico's,ISBN9781904734109
  • Victoria Cross Heroes,2007,Headline,ISBN9780755316335.Foreword by thePrince of Wales.
  • Special Forces Heroes: Extraordinary True Stories of Daring and Valour,2009, Headline,ISBN9780755318087
  • Minority Verdict: The Conservative Party, the voters and the 2010 election,2010, Biteback,ISBN9781849540827
  • George Cross Heroes,2010, Headline,ISBN9780755360840
  • It's Not You, It's Them: Research to remind politicians what matters,2012, Biteback,ISBN9781849544214
  • Degrees of Separation: Ethnic minority voters and the Conservative Party,2012, Biteback,ISBN9781849544184
  • The Armed Forces & Society: The military in Britain through the eyes of Service personnel, employers and the public,2013, Biteback,ISBN9781849544252
  • Heroes of the Skies,2013, Headline,ISBN9780755363902
  • Special Ops Heroes,2014, Headline,ISBN9781472223968
  • Pay Me Forty Quid and I'll Tell You: The 2015 election campaign through the eyes of the voters,with Kevin Culwick, 2015, Biteback,ISBN9781849549776
  • Call Me Dave: The unauthorised biography of David Cameron,withIsabel Oakeshott,2015, Biteback, (ISBN9781849549141)
  • Well, You Did Ask...: Why the UK voted to leave the EU,with Kevin Culwick, 2016, Biteback,ISBN9781785901683
  • Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II,2016, Biteback,ISBN9781785900976
  • Jacob's Ladder: The Unauthorised Biography of Jacob Rees-Mogg,2019, Biteback,ISBN9781785904875
  • Going for Broke: The Rise of Rishi Sunak,2020, Biteback,ISBN9781785906374
  • First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson,2022, Biteback, (ISBN978-1785907500)

Arms

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Coat of arms of Michael Ashcroft
Coronet
ACoronetof a Baron
Crest
ABaird's tapirstatant Sable gorged with a plain collar attached thereto a line reflexed over the back and ringed Or.
Escutcheon
Or gutté Sable two barrulets dancetty acute each interlaced with a bar Gules.
Supporters
On either side a Keel-Billed Toucan Proper.
Motto
Sleep wid you own eye[97]

References

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  1. ^abcde"Ashcroft, Baron, (Michael Anthony Ashcroft) (born 4 March 1946)".Who's Who.2007.doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u5821.ISBN978-0-19-954088-4.Retrieved3 June2021– via WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO.
  2. ^"Ashcroft: The Tories' troublesome tycoon".BBC News.31 March 2000.Retrieved5 January2016.
  3. ^"Inflation Calculator | Bank of England".www.bankofengland.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2014.Retrieved5 January2016.
  4. ^"The Sunday Times Rich List 2021".Sunday Times Rich List.Retrieved7 June2021.
  5. ^abcdWhite, Michael (27 August 2002)."Ashcroft tax inquiry runs into buffers".The Guardian.London.Retrieved9 April2015.
  6. ^abc"Ashcroft inquiry called off".BBC News.27 August 2002.Retrieved9 April2015.
  7. ^abc"Lord Ashcroft admits 'non-dom' status".BBC News.1 March 2010.Retrieved1 March2010.
  8. ^abc"Tory donor Lord Ashcroft gives up non-dom tax status".BBC News.7 July 2010.Retrieved9 April2015.Lord Ashcroft has given up his non-dom tax status to stay in the Lords, it has been confirmed.
  9. ^Hasell, Nick (23 April 2007)."The unexpected face of fight to save the whales".The Times.London.Retrieved15 May2020.
  10. ^abcd"How he made his pile: Lord Ashcroft, businessman/politician".Management Today. 1 October 2009.Retrieved18 November2017.
  11. ^Fran Abrams. "Ashcroft to give £5m to his old college[dead link‍]".The Independent.25 May 2000. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  12. ^abcMichael Ashcroft (8 July 2009).Dirty Politics Dirty Times(PDF).Biteback.ISBN978-1-84954-009-4.
  13. ^"Ashcroft: The Tories' troublesome tycoon".BBC News. 31 March 2000. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  14. ^abAndy McSmith and Ben Laurance (16 January 2000)."Ashcroft's Lotus position".The Observer.London.Retrieved14 July2012.
  15. ^"NHL shareholders not told of executive's role".The Independent.London. 19 October 1992.Archivedfrom the original on 12 May 2022.Retrieved14 July2012.
  16. ^"Ashcroft in For BCA Cash Windfall".Sky News.20 September 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 16 January 2014.Retrieved14 July2012.
  17. ^Andrew Clark and Robert Shrimsley (14 July 1999)."The City spotlight falls once again on 'Daddy Warbucks'".The Daily Telegraph.London. Archived fromthe originalon 29 March 2002.Retrieved12 April2008.
  18. ^Doward, Jamie (1 November 2009)."'Lord Ashcroft of Belize' facing eviction as country turns on him ".The Guardian.London.Retrieved28 December2009.
  19. ^Merrick, Jane (29 November 2009)."Belize PM warns Cameron about role for Ashcroft".The Independent.London.Archivedfrom the original on 12 May 2022.Retrieved17 September2010.
  20. ^"Prime Minister's Introduction of Bill to have Government assume control of Belize Telemedia Limited"(PDF).Government of Belize.Retrieved13 October2009.[dead link‍]
  21. ^"Digital Marketing Group plc has changed its name to WEARE 2020 plc".Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2011.
  22. ^"Placing and admission to AIM"(PDF).Digital Marketing Group. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 March 2012.
  23. ^"Michael Ashcroft – Business – WeAre20:20 plc".
  24. ^"Holding(s) in Company".advfn.com.Retrieved20 July2011.
  25. ^Carlisle Group included the brands Recruit PLC and Tate. includeCarlisle Group and Corporate Services Group merged to form Impellam Group (Recruiter)Archived4 October 2011 at theWayback Machine
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