Thread by @docrussjackson

#THREAD Wealth inequality & Party funding.

Britain's richest 250 people are worth £711 billion - up 8% on last year. The gap between the richest & the rest is at its widest in more than a decade: 2022 sees the highest level of income inequality since 2010 (ONS).

#EnoughIsEnough

The wealthiest 10% of households now hold 43% of all the wealth in Britain; the bottom 50% hold just 9%.

A third of Britain's 177 billionaires, with a combined wealth of £653 billion, have "given" at least £62 million to the Tory Party over the past two decades.

#EnoughIsEnough

Since #GE2019, UK political parties have received around £86 million from individuals, companies, unions & other groups - Tories received 63% of all individual donations.

“The Conservative party is now wholly unrepresentative in any way of the UK population.” - Frances Coppola.

Although 39 of the top 50 biggest donors’ money went to the Conservative Party, the biggest single donor was Brextremist anti-Net Zero campaigner, Jeremy Hosking, who gave almost £1.85 million to Laurence Fox’s Reclaim Party & £500,000 to Reform UK.

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1507149511768084487?s=20&t=wJWe5it1J_OsrCTUUpItjQ

Last year, @openDemocracy revealed in the 'Cash For Peerages' scandal that Conservative treasurers who donate £3 million to the party - like every former party treasurer has over the past eight years - is almost guaranteed a seat in the House of Lords.

opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-…

One of the biggest Tory donors is Heather Coffey, a woman who left the Tories £650,000 in her will after being “charmed by Boris Johnson”, her MP.

For £250k, donors get regular meetings with Govt Ministers to demand lower taxes & public spending cuts.

bywire.news/articles/the-p…

In other election news...

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1563124484281753601?s=20&t=WMtQJ_8WK0UBq2-vhw3JJA