The ennobling of Michael Ashcroft, a controversial businessman and Conservative Party donor, in 2000 was a messy matter; for he partly lived, and had extensive business interests, in Belize. As a condition of his peerage, he agreedrnto take up "permanent residence" in Britain. Ever since, senior Tories have been forced into humiliating contortions when asked whether Lord Ashcroft, who is now deputy chairman of the party, was resident in Britain for tax purposes: ask him, they blustered, knowing that he was unlikely to answer.
展开▼
