The Tories took more than £1m from a British construction giant and its directors after the UN linked it to the destruction of Palestinian villages.
Digger firm JCB was one of 122 firms identified in a UN report four years ago after photos showed its machinery being used to build Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The company, officially JC Bamford Excavators Ltd, was accused of being “involved” in the “supply of equipment and materials” that facilitated the construction of settlements.
Now analysis by openDemocracy shows that, since the UN report was published, the Conservative Party has accepted more than £1.3m from JCB and the Bamford family, which runs the company. This includes almost £218,000 from JCB companies, and £983,000 from Mark Bamford, one of the directors of JC Bamford Excavators Ltd.
