Tory party funding Leaked files cast doubt on real source of donations

The Conservative party is facing questions over a possible breach of electoral law involving one of its largest benefactors, after leaked files cast doubt on official declarations of donations worth £2.6m.

- Henry Dyer Tom Burgis Rob Evans

More than 40 donations to the Tories over 23 years have been registered in the name of Rosemary Said, a British woman. But leaked documents marked "official - sensitive" renew questions about whether it is her husband, the billionaire Wafic Said, 85, who is the real source of the money even though he is barred by electoral law from donating.

One of the documents, an official government log from Boris Johnson's time in Downing Street, contains the entry: "Political meeting with Wafic Said (donor) and Rosemary Said."

Wafic also had two separate phone calls with Johnson and senior aides without his wife, other logs record.

A Canadian citizen resident in Monaco, Wafic is barred from donating because he is not eligible to vote in the UK. Rosemary, 79, is allowed to give money and the Conservative party declared donations in her name between 2001 and 2024. Johnson declared a £10,000 contribution from her during his leadership campaign.

When contacted for comment, Wafic Said said: "My wife is an independently wealthy woman who has been a strong supporter of the Conservative party her entire life." He added: "I have not made donations to the Conservative party for at least 25 years, and any suggestion otherwise would be clearly untrue and would be a very serious matter for me, as I always respect the law."

A Conservative party spokesperson said it had carried out "proper due diligence" on the donations and added: "We do not comment on purported leaked documents, which may have been obtained or manipulated by hostile states."