‘Beholden to tycoons’: Diane Abbott accuses fellow Labour London mayoral candidates

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington

Diane Abbott has slammed her three rivals for taking donations from property developers, in her bid to become the Labour party’s candidate for London Mayor.

The Hackney MP told the Evening Standard that accepting donations of tens of thousands of pounds from developers was “incompatible” with their duty to Londoners and made them “beholden to tycoons.”

The other Labour hopefuls, Dame Tessa Jowell, David Lammy and Sadiq Khan, have all accepted cash from individuals and companies which have interests in decisions taken by any future mayor on planning consents and the release of new land.

London mayoral candidates are required to submit a record of all donations of £1,500 or higher to the Electoral Commission.

According to these records, David Lammy has received £74,000 in donations so far this year, which includes £15,000 from developer Galliard Holdings, £4,000 from Beauchamp Estates Ltd, and a personal donation of £5,000 from Killian Hurley, chief executive of Mount Anvil.

Dame Tessa Jowell has received £51,500 so far this year, including £11,500 from Canary Wharf Limited and £5,000 from Paul Myners, a former Chairman of Land Securities. The former Cabinet member has also come under scrutiny for accepting a senior role at a group of firms chaired by one of her campaign’s largest donors, Lord Mervyn Davies.

Sadiq Khan received a donation of £15,000, nearly half his declared total of £37,750, from DCD Properties Ltd.

“Housing is the biggest issue facing the new mayor,” said Ms Abbott, speaking to the Hackney Citizen. “They have recorded these donations in the correct way, but I’m surprised that they would accept these donations given that development is at the heart of housing issues in London.”

When asked by the Hackney Citizen if she had any criteria for her own donors, Ms. Abbott came up with only one: “I would never accept donations from developers.”

No donations worth £1,500 or more have been made to Diane Abbott, according to the Electoral Commission.