Tory donors win contracts

A City firm set up by two substantial Conservative Party donors owned a training company which won £73 million in contracts under the government’s welfare-to-work programme.

Sovereign Capital, created in 2001 by John Nash, Ryan Robson and three others, for eight years owned Employment and Skills Group (ESG), which was recently sold to an investment bank.

Nash and his wife Caroline have donated £182,500 to the Tories since 2006, while Robson has given £267,866 since 2003.

ESG won two contracts in the West Midlands for the Work Programme, under which private companies are paid by results to get the unemployed into work.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/big-tory-donors-linked-to-welfaretowork-contracts-7986158.html