Rishi Sunak’s controversial fund to support startups during the Covid pandemic invested nearly £2m in companies linked to his wife, Guardian analysis has found.

 

Carousel Ventures, a company part-owned by Akshata Murty’s venture capital firm, got an investment of £250,000 from the Future Fund to help fund its ownership of a luxury underwear business called Heist Studios, it can be disclosed.

 

It is the fourth business linked to Murty revealed to have received an investment from the fund set up by Sunak to support startups when he was chancellor during the Covid pandemic.

None of Murty’s investments that benefited from the Future Fund appear publicly on Sunak’s register of ministerial interests. Critics have raised concerns over a lack of transparency and the potential for a perceived conflict of interest given Sunak launched the scheme to help startups – a sector in which his wife is a known investor.

Other investors in Carousel Ventures via an intermediary fund include Andrew Griffith, a Conservative MP who is now a Treasury minister under Sunak, and Brent Hoberman, a businessman who publicly pleaded with Sunak to bring in such a scheme and “save our startups”.

The £250,000 loan to Carousel Ventures has now been converted into equity, so the UK taxpayer owns a small stake in the “revolutionary shapewear” company.

As well as Carousel Ventures, Murty also had shareholdings in New Craftsmen, which received a £250,000 Future Fund loan; Mrs Wordsmith, which got £1.3m from the fund; and Digme Fitness, which received an unknown amount over £125,000, according to the terms of the fund. All three businesses went into administration.

 

FULL STORY

 

Is anyone at all surprised?

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/11/labour-billions-covid-fraud-pandemic

Oh dear, seems that another PM may bite the dust, sooner than expected.

Good riddance when it happens.

Watching him grovel to the US is sickening.

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Oh dear, seems that another PM may bite the dust, sooner than expected.

Good riddance when it happens.

Watching him grovel to the US is sickening.

The resounding defeat in this week’s two by elections is the cause of the risk he now faces.

 

 

Is anyone surprised? You don't become filthy rich by being honest and fair. That goes especially for the mediocre children of filthy rich people - the corrupt Sunak and his tax avoiding wife being prime examples. 

Sunak’s handing exploration licenses to BP while BP hand £ multi million contracts to businesses owned by his wife’s father needs to be looked at too.

 

 

Edited October 23, 20232 yr by Chomper Higgot

6 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

Is anyone surprised? You don't become filthy rich by being honest and fair. That goes especially for the mediocre children of filthy rich people - the corrupt Sunak and his tax avoiding wife being prime examples. 

 

Or Sturgeon and her luxury motor home…

 

If true, Sunak should go. Although I guess it’s nothing more than half truths from the extreme left rag The Guardian.

 

Labours support of Hamas and the oldest hatred will doom them in the next election no matter who leads the conservatives. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory again.

18 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Or Sturgeon and her luxury motor home…

 

If true, Sunak should go. Although I guess it’s nothing more than half truths from the extreme left rag The Guardian.

 

Labours support of Hamas and the oldest hatred will doom them in the next election no matter who leads the conservatives. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory again.

Pinned.

22 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Or Sturgeon and her luxury motor home…

 

If true, Sunak should go. Although I guess it’s nothing more than half truths from the extreme left rag The Guardian.

 

Labours support of Hamas and the oldest hatred will doom them in the next election no matter who leads the conservatives. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory again.

I can remember when your fellow right wingers were also claiming that the huge shift in the local elections didn't signify anything either.

5 minutes ago, placeholder said:

I can remember when your fellow right wingers were also claiming that the huge shift in the local elections didn't signify anything either.

The British electorate are clearly far less gullible than their American counterparts, hence the left in the UK being kept firmly in their place for well over a decade. 

 

We won't forget the Blair years of lies, warmongering and destabilizing the middle east any time soon.

 

This time I suspect it will be the left's overt  antisemitism that keeps the reins of power where they belong. 

 

The only good thing to come from the last month of conflict is that it has exposed the left more brutally than the conservatives could ever hope to do. 

16 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Pinned.

I've heard that from you many times, never with any subsequent follow up.😆

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

The British electorate are clearly far less gullible than their American counterparts, hence the left in the UK being kept firmly in their place for well over a decade. 

 

We won't forget the Blair years of lies, warmongering and destabilizing the middle east any time soon.

 

This time I suspect it will be the left's overt  antisemitism that keeps the reins of power where they belong. 

 

The only good thing to come from the last month of conflict is that it has exposed the left more brutally than the conservatives could ever hope to do. 

Your response to a thread referring to Tory and Sunak sleaze is to go off on one of your ‘short-cut key’ anti labour deflection rants.

 

Oh did you miss the results of last week’s by-elections or is it that reality just can’t get through?

2 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I've heard that from you many times, never with any subsequent follow up.😆

Stick around, you’ll get the follow up after the election.

13 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Your response to a thread referring to Tory and Sunak sleaze is to go off on one of your ‘short-cut key’ anti labour deflection rants.

 

Oh did you miss the results of last week’s by-elections or is it that reality just can’t get through?

I was simply stating why these Guardian generated rumours won't translate into a Labour win at the general election.

 

I said the same thing about BBC pro Europe propaganda prior to the Brexit referendum.

7 hours ago, RuamRudy said:

Is anyone surprised? You don't become filthy rich by being honest and fair. That goes especially for the mediocre children of filthy rich people - the corrupt Sunak and his tax avoiding wife being prime examples. 

"Tax avoiding wife"?

 

 

Just now, youreavinalaff said:

"Tax avoiding wife"?

 

 

I think he's confusing her with Sturgeon. 

 

Bitter pills can stick in the throat for longer than expected.

9 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

I was simply stating why these Guardian generated rumours won't translate into a Labour win at the general election.

 

I said the same thing about BBC pro Europe propaganda prior to the Brexit referendum.

Putting aside that’s not what you were saying.

 

No the Guardian articles will not translate into a Labour win, voters turning out to vote Labour and anything but Tory will.

 

36 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

The British electorate are clearly far less gullible than their American counterparts, hence the left in the UK being kept firmly in their place for well over a decade. 

 

We won't forget the Blair years of lies, warmongering and destabilizing the middle east any time soon.

 

This time I suspect it will be the left's overt  antisemitism that keeps the reins of power where they belong. 

 

The only good thing to come from the last month of conflict is that it has exposed the left more brutally than the conservatives could ever hope to do. 

"We won't forget the Blair years of lies, warmongering and destabilizing the middle east any time soon."

"We"? Really. Who appointed you spokesman for the British electorate.

And it's dubious that an election is going to be decided on a issue of foreign affairs. Voters pay much more attention to issues concerning the economy and health care.

Edited October 23, 20232 yr by placeholder

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

"We won't forget the Blair years of lies, warmongering and destabilizing the middle east any time soon."

"We"? Really. Who appointed you spokesman for the British electorate.

And it's dubious that an election is going to be decided on a issue of foreign affairs. Voters pay much more attention to issues concerning the economy and health care.

"Voters pay much more attention to issues concerning the economy and health care."

 

Really? Who appointed you spokesman for the British electorate?

3 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

"Voters pay much more attention to issues concerning the economy and health care."

 

Really? Who appointed you spokesman for the British electorate?

I don't see how a sentence composed in the third person can be understood to be taken as that of a spokesman.

6 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

"Voters pay much more attention to issues concerning the economy and health care."

 

Really? Who appointed you spokesman for the British electorate?

Let’s take a look at what the ONS has to say on the matter:

 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/publicopinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain/11to22january2023

On 10/20/2023 at 5:40 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

Is anyone at all surprised?

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/11/labour-billions-covid-fraud-pandemic

I'm surprised it was only 2m 🤔 

2 minutes ago, placeholder said:

I don't see how a sentence composed in the third person can be understood to be taken as that of a spokesman.

I don't see how a sentence composed around "we", without clarifying the individuals covered or those excluded from such a group, can be understood to be taken as that of spokesman.

Just now, sammieuk1 said:

I'm surprised it was only 2m 🤔 

It’s not, the Tories handed £Billions to their chums often to chums with zero experience providing the goods and services that were ostensibly being paid for and therefore no surprise at all with zero benefit to the nation.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Let’s take a look at what the ONS has to say on the matter:

 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/publicopinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain/11to22january2023

Take a look at what you like. 

 

 

Just now, youreavinalaff said:

Take a look at what you like. 

 

 

Forgive me for interrupting your customary sophistry with a report from the UK Government’s Office of National Statistics.

 

Oh and I took a look at last week’s by-elections.

 

Rather pleasing they were too.

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Forgive me for interrupting your customary sophistry with a report from the UK Government’s Office of National Statistics.

 

Oh and I took a look at last week’s by-elections.

 

Rather pleasing they were too.

 

 

 

 

Your mistake is not fully reading my comment to another poster. I was not disputing reasons for voting, possibly by some/many/a majority of voters. Rather, his use of "voters" as an entirety. 

 

Your reply was, therefore, inane.

 

For that, you are forgiven.

Just now, youreavinalaff said:

 

Your mistake is not fully reading my comment to another poster. I was not disputing reasons for voting, possibly by some/many/a majority of voters. Rather, his use of "voters" as an entirety. 

 

Your reply was, therefore, inane.

 

For that, you are forgiven.

Like I say ‘your customary sophistry’.

 

27 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Voters pay much more attention to issues concerning the economy and health care.

Correct, refer ONS report I linked above.

 

 

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

Like I say ‘your customary sophistry’.

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

However, it was a simple observation. Nothing more. 

 

As usual, some posters' haste in replying results in the ommittance of simple words that would make their comments more accurate.