Academy “sponsors” Ross and Nash make total of �325,000 in pre-election donations to the Conservative Party

Two high-profile academy “sponsors” donated a total of �325,000 to the Conservative Party during the run-up to today’s general election.

David Ross, who oversees a chain of 34 academies which are named after him, gave £250,000 to the party on November 22^nd, data from the Electoral Commission reveal.

The donation is the largest of any of the previous gifts to the party by Ross, who co-founded Carphone Warehouse and founded a charity which controls the academy chain. His previous donations to the Conservatives, which started in 2006, totalled £166,000.

Meanwhile, Lord Nash, the Tory peer and former academies minister who presides over the seven-school Future Academies chain with his wife Lady Caroline, gave £75,000 to the party on November 18^th, the Electoral Commission data show.  

Two figures who until recently were “sponsoring” academies are also linked to donations during the pre-election period, in both cases, again, to the Conservative Party.