Revelation of big donations comes after manifesto promised to build on ‘unprecedented support’ for industry

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Oil executives whose industry is promised further government support if the Conservatives are returned to power have given more than £390,000 to the party since Theresa May became prime minister.

They include Ian Taylor, the chief executive of Vitol, whose firm was fined for making payments to an Iraqi state-owned firm, and Ayman Asfari, the chief executive of Petrofac, who was recently interviewed by the Serious Fraud Office over suspected corruption.

Three of the donors have attended dinners with May or senior ministers since she took office.

The payments will raise eyebrows because the 2017 manifesto includes a specific commitment to build upon previous “unprecedented” government support for the oil and gas industry.

Labour, which compiled the figures, said they exposed a cosy relationship between the prime minister and the oil industry.

A Conservative spokesman said: “All donations to the Conservative party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with the law.”

Labour’s Jon Trickett, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: “It’s worrying to think that while Theresa May omitted to mention ‘living standards’ anywhere in the manifesto, she made a number of manifesto pledges to the oil and gas industry – including active support of new oil and gas facilities – after she and her cabinet ministers have been liaising with, and taking money from, the industry’s top bosses.”



Since May became prime minister in July, the Tories have taken more than £390,000 in donations from six leading figures in Britain’s oil and gas industry.

Taylor, 60, has given £47,000 to the Conservatives. Vitol is a major trader in North Sea oil and owns VPI Immingham on the river Humber which provides power for oil refineries.

The firm was fined £13m in 2007 after admitting payments to the Iraqi state oil company, and in 2012 was engaged in oil trade with Iran after EU sanctions had been put in place.

A spokesperson for Vitol said Taylor’s payments were not connected to the firm and claimed that the payments to Iraq’s state oil firm were not illicit but were outside the scope of the UN. She added that Vitol had at no stage broken any oil trading sanctions.

A former senior partner in Vitol, Matthew Ferrey, has given £124,000 to the Tories since July. He has since founded Rainworth Capital, which invests in the manufacturing of sensors for oil drilling.

Amjad Bseisu is the Palestinian-born chief executive of oil and gas development and production company EnQuest, and previously worked for Petrofac. He has given £28,500 to the Conservative party since December.



Alexander Temerko is a Ukrainian-born businessman and former deputy chairman of the Russian Yukos Oil Company. He is now the director of oil engineering giant OGN Group, and has given £63,800 since last July.

Ayman Asfari is chief executive of Petrofac, a Jersey-registered international oil and gas provider, and gave £90,000 to the Tories in December.

In the first week of the election campaign, his wife, Sawsan, donated an additional £50,000 to the party.

Asfari has been questioned under caution by SFO officers investigating claims that Unaoil, a Monaco-based firm, corruptly secured contracts for multinationals. Unaoil and Petrofac have denied any wrongdoing.



Abdul-Majid Jafar, the chief executive of Crescent Petroleum, gave the Tories £28,000 in December.

Three of the six donors – Taylor, Bseisu and Temerko – attended meetings of the Conservatives’ Leader’s Group donor club, which offers dinners and drinks events with the prime minister and senior members of the cabinet in exchange for a £50,000 annual fee.



According to the Conservatives’ 2017 manifesto, the Tories plan to aid the development of the decommissioning industry and the construction of the UK’s first ultra-deep water port.

It says: “Other industries, like the oil and gas sector, are transforming. The North Sea has provided more than £300bn in tax revenue to the UK economy and supports thousands of highly skilled jobs across Britain.

“We will ensure that the sector continues to play a critical role in our economy and domestic energy supply, supporting further investment in the UK’s natural resources. We will continue to support the industry and build on the unprecedented support already provided to the oil and gas sector.”