A private poll by the donors showed Labour was on track for a “Tony Blair-style landslide”, according to two people familiar with its results.
| A trio of senior Tory donors has decided against giving money to the party’s general election campaign after commissioning private polling showing Rishi Sunak is heading for an electoral rout.
The four donors, all wealthy businesspeople who have given at least £250,000 to the party in the past, consider themselves long-standing loyalists and were not associated with a YouGov poll released in January that predicted a Tory wipeout. That poll was organised by Mr Sunak’s arch-critic Lord David Frost and seen as destabilising to the prime minister’s leadership.
The group included Ukrainian-born billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik, former owner of the McLaren Group Ron Dennis, and Selva Pankaj, chief executive of education company Regent Group, according to several people familiar with the event. “Leadership is everything and I strongly believe that Rishi Sunak is one of the best leaders the country could have. Given the opportunity, he can lead the party and the country into much better times,” said the businessperson, who added they did not wish to comment on whether they would donate to the campaign or not.Mr Sunak and the cabinet are also expected to attend the Conservatives’ summer party on June 20, where party insiders are hopeful that big sums will be pledged by attendees.
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