The banker behind Newcastle United’s Saudi takeover has given the Conservatives £84,500.
Amanda Staveley’s company paid £50,000 in February after two previous donations totaling £34,500. The new donation comes after it was revealed that Boris Johnson supported the Saudi bid for Newcastle while he was Prime Minister.
According to a publication, his government battled for months to get the Premier League to approve it. According to reports, Saudi Arabia’s ruler cautioned him that failure would “have a negative impact on both our countries’ economic relations.”
Despite Premier League concerns, the deal was completed in October 2021, thanks to the efforts of Yorkshire-born multi-millionaire
Ms Staveley. Following the takeover, the club paid her consultant business Cantervale over £1 million in fees.
She is on the board of directors and is a co-owner of the club through her company, PCP Capital Partners. Ms Staveley paid the Conservatives £22,000 in 2019, while Cantervale provided £12,500.
The £305 million Newcastle purchase was highly contentious, owing mostly to the Middle Eastern state’s human rights violations. Among these was the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The US blamed “rogue” agents, but Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman allowed it.
Bin Salman chairs Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is Newcastle’s majority shareholder.
Labour’s Lord Foulkes said: “I strongly believe government should have a greater role in football, but in a regulatory capacity, not lobbying on the behalf of wealthy prospective owners. “Dirty money has long roots in our game, and it’s difficult not to see these ‘donations,’ when combined with Johnson’s behaviour, as a clear bribe coordinated by the Saudis. While we have come to expect nothing less from the Conservative party’s crony capitalists, this should highlight the critical need for a robust regulator.”
