UK

Tories ‘don’t deserve to win the next election’, says Thatcher donor Lord Harris

Luke Barr
Tue, 26 September 2023 

Lord Harris has held sway in Tory circles since the 1980s, during which time he has donated to a string of Conservative prime ministers - Eddie Mulholland

The Conservative Party does not “deserve” to win the next election, long-time Tory donor Lord Harris of Peckham has said, just weeks after he donated £5,000 to Rachel Reeves.

The Carpetright founder and Conservative peer said he had lost faith in the ability of the party to govern following a series of policy disappointments.

He told the Telegraph: “The whole situation in politics at the moment is very damaging to the UK.

“Does a Party like the Conservatives, with what they have done in the last three years, deserve to get back [in power], I don’t think so.

“You can’t think of many good things that the Conservatives have done and stuck to. At the last election, they said they were going to open 40 new hospitals in the next five years. Where are they?”

The comments come after Lord Harris, a former close ally of Margaret Thatcher, gave £5,000 to the shadow chancellor in August.

The peer insisted he was not defecting to Labour and said the donation reflected the fact that Ms Reeves was a graduate of one of his Harris Academies.

However, Lord Harris’s stinging criticism of the Government and public donation to Labour are a significant blow to the Conservative Party and will serve as a wake-up call for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Lord Harris urged the Tories to “adopt a clear vision and stick to it”.

A self-made entrepreneur, Lord Harris has held sway in Tory circles since the 1980s, during which time he has donated to a string of Conservative prime ministers, including Baroness Thatcher, Sir John Major and David Cameron.

He was knighted in 1985 by Baroness Thatcher and then made a Conservative life peer in 1996 by Sir John.

The 81-year-old has become the latest high-profile businessman to donate to Labour ahead of the next election.

Former supermarket chairman Baron David Sainsbury and former Autoglass chief Gary Lubner have both given multi-million pound donations following a charm offensive by Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Reeves.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves received a £5,000 donation from Lord Harris in August - Lorne Campbell

Lord Harris said he would not vote Labour at the next election but said the Government could not carry on with its current way of doing things, especially as it keeps “changing people every five minutes”.

He said: “If I were a Labour voter, which I am not, it wouldn’t be hard to beat the Conservatives after what’s happened in the last three years.

“The only thing is, will Labour do any better?”

Lord Harris is perhaps best known for his Harris Academy schools. The Harris Foundation, a not-for-profit charity, runs more than 50 primary and secondary schools across deprived London boroughs and educates tens of thousands of children.

Ms Reeves was one of his former pupils and he said it was this link that sparked his donation.

“She went to one of our schools in Beckenham. And she goes back without me knowing and talks to the children. She’s never asked me for any money but I decided to send her £5,000.

“I have not spoken to her about this at all. I have only ever met her once over a cup of tea about a year and a half ago. As shadow chancellor, I can listen to her and see where she’s coming from.

“I am 95pc Conservative but there are some good Labour people.”

Over the course of his career, he has donated cash to Labour MPs on “four or five” occasions, he said.

Prior to the donation to Ms Reeves, the most recent instance was around five years ago when he gave money to Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh. This too was a product of her work with Harris Academies.

His business career started at age 15 when he took over the family market stall and two shops in Peckham, which he subsequently turned into the country’s largest carpet chain.

As well as his expertise in education, Lord Harris also chaired the Guys and Lewisham NHS Trust in the 1990s.

He said the state of Britain’s health service was worrying: “You shouldn’t have to wait 18 months [for treatment] when for 40-50 years of your life you have paid in money and then you can’t use it.

“As the country is today, I want the best party to win the next general election, one that’s going to look after the British people.”

Lord Harris said no Prime Minister since Baroness Thatcher had rivalled her ability but said “the next best were Tony Blair and Major.”

Ms Reeves was contacted for comment.

Labour declined to comment.