'Pleb' row Tory given £11,000 backing from tax haven firm (who've also donated £777,000 to the Lib Dems)

Andrew Mitchell accepted £11,000 of donations from company Brompton Capital, owned by an offshore firm in tax haven Jersey



The company is the biggest corporate backer of the Lib Dems, donating £777,000 since the General Election in 2010

The company is owned by tycoon Rumi Verjee who founded Domino's Pizza franchise in Britain



Andrew Mitchell and Nick Clegg have accepted thousands of pounds in donations from a company owned by an offshore firm in the tax haven of Jersey.

The beleaguered Conservative chief whip was given three donations totalling £11,000 from Brompton Capital, the biggest corporate backer of the Lib Dems.

The company has handed Mr Clegg’s party £777,000 since the General Election in 2010.

Accepted donations: Conservative chief whip Andrew Mitchell, left, was given three donation totalling £11,000 from Brompton Capital, an offshore firm in the tax haven of Jersey, which has handed Nick Clegg's, right, party £777,000 as the biggest corporate backer of the Lib Dems



Tycoon backer: Rumi Verjee, in Brighton yesterday, is Brompton Capital's chairman and said to be worth £125m

Shares in the firm are owned by an offshore firm called Integro Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, which is based in the Channel Island tax haven.

Brompton Capital’s chairman is Rumi Verjee, a tycoon said to be worth £125million, having founded Domino’s Pizza franchise in Britain. He now runs Thomas Goode, an exclusive china shop in Mayfair.

Mr Verjee has been entertained by the Deputy Prime Minister at Chevening, his grace-and-favour country mansion, and was in the audience for Mr Clegg’s conference speech in Brighton yesterday.

He repeatedly refused to respond to questions about why his company shareholdings were based in Jersey, or why he had donated money to both the Lib Dems and a senior Conservative.

While all the donations were properly declared and there is no suggestion of impropriety on the part of the MPs or Mr Verjee, the revelations are potentially embarrassing for the Lib Dems and Mr Mitchell, who is fighting to save his job following claims he called Downing Street police officers ‘f****** plebs’.

Both parties in the coalition have made much of their determination to crack down on tax avoidance. Only this week, Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander told wealthy people using offshore tax havens: ‘We’re coming to get you.’



Founded franchise: Mr Verjee made his money founding Domino's Pizza franchise in Britain

Brompton Capital’s accounts suggest it has been far from successful. The company made a loss of £19,000 in 2010 in accounts submitted in April that year – yet it was able to donate £250,000 to the Liberal Democrats in June 2010.

The company filed losses of £357,000 in April last year – yet in the same month contributed £100,000 to Mr Clegg’s party.

The firm’s principal shareholder, with 100,000 shares, is the offshore company Integro Nominees( Jersey) Ltd. Despite its chequered financial past, in the past ten years the firm has made ‘charitable donations’ of more than £12million.

According to the Jersey Financial Services Commission, Integro Nominees (Jersey) has changed its name to EQ Nominees (Jersey). It is listed as one of the ‘regulated companies’ in the global TMF Group, which offers clients a wide-range of services, including ‘tax planning’.

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said: ‘They claim to stand for fairer taxes in tough times, and talk about tax crackdowns on the rich. But in reality they’ve cut taxes for millionaires and one of their biggest donors appears to be using offshore companies to cut its own tax bill. It’s typical Lib Dem hypocrisy.’

A Lib Dem spokesman said: ‘Liberal Democrats are committed to targeting companies and individuals who are using aggressive tax avoidance measures by hiding money off-shore. In some cases, there are legitimate reasons for global companies to not base themselves in the UK.’