Tories tell Labour to return donor’s funds amid antisemitism row
The Tories have called on Labour to return donations made by top donor Dale Vince after he provoked backlash with a social media post on antisemitism following the Bondi Beach terror attack.
In a post on X, Vince — an energy tycoon who gave Labour more than £5m last year — linked the attack on Jewish families in Sydney, Australia, which resulted in at least 15 people being killed, to Israeli strikes in Gaza over the last two years.
He appeared to quote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in stating that “antisemitism spreads when leaders stay silent” before adding his own view: “Nothing to do with Isreal committing Genocide in Palestine then. Netanyahu wants antisemitism to be a thing, it validates him – he acts to make it so.”
The Labour donor and Ecotricity founder has received backlash from several figures including ex-Labour MP Lord Walney, who said the party should cut ties with Vince.
Vince is neither a Labour member nor current donor, City PM understands.
Kemi Badenoch said Vince’s post was “morally repugnant”.
“Will Keir Starmer condemn his big financial backer?” Badenoch also wrote.
“Staying silent implies he sees nothing wrong.”
‘Labour must return all donations’
Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said in a separate post that the party should return donations made by Vince.
“This is disgraceful,” he said. “Any language that excuses or legitimises terrorism gives extremists cover and undermines our values.
“Labour must return all donations received from Mr Vince, refuse future ones, and make clear that terrorism has no moral ambiguity.”
Other commentators have also said the use of the word “Holocaust” in a video portraying turkeys being killed to for Christmas meals was also deflecting from the issue of the killing of Jews.
In a statement provided to City PM, Vince said: “My words on this subject were not intended to excuse or legitimise terrorism, or any form of racism – what happened at Bondi beach is an atrocity.
“My words are aimed at the intervention of Netanyahu who in my opinion overlooks the impacts of his own terrorism. If antisemitism is rising in the world today then surely on any rational analysis the biggest single cause of that will be the genocide in Palestine.
“I condemn all acts of violence and all forms of racism.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “We are absolutely clear that the antisemitic terrorist attack against Jewish families at a Chanukah event at Bondi beach is sickening.
“There can never and should never be any excuses made for barbaric acts of terrorism. The Labour Government and the whole Labour movement stands with the Jewish community in Australia, in the UK, and around the world at this awful time.”