A ring of Tory donors has been accused of giving themselves a ‘leg-up’ by lining pals - and each other - up for gongs and honours
The Mirror can reveal donors who have given the party more than £3m, have been handed foreign knighthoods and honorary doctorates within the same circle of businessmen, deeply rooted in Conservative social circles.
The same three men have been given knighthoods from the Republic of San Marino, honorary doctorates from Bolton university and sit on the board of Regent University London. And a further four Tory donors and MPs have been given honours by both San Marino and Bolton.
Some of the group, nicknamed the “Gong-Go-Round” by one insider, shared a £3,000 table at last week’s Conservative Party Spring Lunch.
And several key figures in the clique shared a table at the notorious ‘President’s Club’ dinner - a ‘Men only’ event, where female staff were told to wear skimpy black outfits and reported being groped by diners.
A source claims the group are seeking to increase their influence within the party, secure knighthoods and peerages for their allies and build a fundraising network for their favoured candidate to replace Boris Johnson as leader.
There's no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of the men involved.
An exclusive Sunday Mirror investigation last month found a string of Tory donors and MPs had been given knighthoods by the Republic of San Marino - including Professor George Holmes, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton.
Prof Holmes is one of the UK’s most highly paid University bosses. He pocketed a salary of £322,332 last year, and is said to own two Bentleys and a 30ft yacht.
The foreign gongs were arranged by the tax haven micro-state’s consul in the UK, Maurizio Bragagni - a major Tory donor and former chair of British Italian Conservatives.
Today it can be revealed that eight people linked to Mr Bragagni and his charity Esharelife have also been given honorary doctorates by Mr Holmes’ University.
Mr Bragagni was made an honorary doctor of Arts by Bolton in 2019, and given a role as a visiting professor in “leadership”.
Tory donors Dr Selva Pankaj - CEO of Regent Group, which operates London’s Regent College - and Professor Nadey Hakim, a British-Lebanese surgeon, were also made Knights of St Agatha by San Marino last year.
Both men were given honorary doctorates by Bolton in 2019.
Tory donor and aviation boss Uday Nayak was given an honorary doctorate by Bolton in 2017, and was made a Knight of St Agatha last year.
Ex-Fujitsu boss Simon Blagden, and Mustafa Mohammed, boss of private dental firm Genix, are both “ambassadors” for Esharelife - and have both been given honorary degrees by Bolton.
Mr Bragagni, Mr Blagden and Prof Hakim all sit on the board of Dr Pankaj’s private university, Regent College London.
In 2019, Mr Bragagni hired Tory MP and former minister Sir John Hayes, whom he paid a £24,000 salary to “promote Esharelife’s charitable work.”
He received an honorary doctorate from Bolton the same year.
Sir John stepped down from his role at Esharelife after just six months, before accepting a £38,000 a year job as a part-time professor at the University of Bolton in 2020.
It's understood that Sir John Heyes was unaware of any links between Esharelife and the University of Bolton.
While Sir John does know Prof Holmes, he was offered the job by another academic at the University, whom he knew.
And Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, was given an honorary degree by Bolton University in 2018 - before visiting San Marino last year on a £2,433 trip paid for by the country’s consulate.
It was arranged by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for San Marino, chaired by Tory MP Andrew Rosindell - also a Knight of St Agatha.
Sir Graham told the Sunday Mirror he had met Mr Bragagni for the first time on the trip, but declined to comment further.
Prof Holmes, Mr Hakim and top Tory Jeremy Hunt visited San Marino the same week to collect their knighthoods. Former PM Theresa May visited the following week.
Prof Holmes was made Knight Commander, the third highest accolade in the order of St Agatha.
Mr Bragagni, Prof Holmes, Mr Mohammed, Mr Pankaj and Mr Hakim shared a table at the Tory Spring Lunch last week.
And Mr Mohammed hosted a table at the infamous President’s Club dinner in 2018, joined by Mr Bragagni, Prof. Holmes and Mr Blagden.
At the time, Prof Holmes said he told an undercover reporter at the dinner that he felt “uncomfortable” with the “influx of hostesses and certain auction lots” - and that he left the event as soon as it was “polite” to do so.
Mr Mohammed was given an honorary doctorate from Bolton six months before the dinner, and has since been made an “ambassador” by Mr Bragagni’s charity.
Mr Blagden is now co-chair of RISE, a think tank established and funded by Bolton University, and is also an “ambassador” for Esharelife.
Sitting at the next table, number 6, was Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi.
Professor Holmes said all the recipients of honorary degrees from Bolton are "individuals who are in their own right highly successful in their chosen field and almost all are also actively committed to supporting charities."
He said it was "not surprising" that the men named in this article meet on social occasions because they "share common interests."
"Indeed, this is what like minded people normally do," he said.
"I suspect every table at every event (from a local golf club dinner to the Lord Mayors banquet) has people who know one another coming together to enjoy time together and support one another."
"As for these individuals helping with the development of the Republic of San Marino I think you would naturally expect diplomats from a country to use their immediate network to draw in support for their embassy.
"Again this is exactly what ambassadors and consul generals do. Maurizio Bragagni is excellent at fulfilling this role."
