Rishi Sunak told to forfeit £350,000 donation from boss of vaping firm
Rishi Sunak is under pressure to give away a six-figure donation from the boss of a vaping firm that sells products with names such as Blue Razz Lemonade and Strawberry Mousse.
The Conservative Party accepted £350,000 last May from Supreme 8 Limited, which is owned by Sandeep Singh Chadha.
He is the Chief Executive of Supreme PLC, a Manchester-based company that manufactures and sells vapes. It also acts as a distributor for Elf Bar, a Chinese-owned firm that has been criticised for marketing vapes that appeal to young people.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Labour’s Wes Streeting last night urged him to hand the money to organisations that help people quit smoking. The Shadow Health Secretary wrote: “As you have correctly pointed out ‘marketing vapes to children is not acceptable’, and disposable vapes ‘have driven the rise of youth vaping in this country’. It is a pity that you and your party did not come to this view earlier.”
He added: “It was surprising that your party accepted a donation worth £350,000 from Supreme 8 Limited last May.” Mr Streeting wrote that Supreme PLC, a company that is also run by Mr Chadha, “sells flavoured disposable vapes, including Blue Razz Lemonade, Strawberry Mousse, and Rainbow Burst flavours”.
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“Clearly these are not primarily designed for middle aged ex-smokers,” he added. “It is unacceptable for a political party to accept donations from [those who], by your own admission, have driven the rise of youth vaping in this country. Protecting children’s health should always come before lining your own pockets.”
He continued: “Labour is calling on you to give these donations to smoking cessation services, which help smokers quit tobacco.”
Mr Chadha said that it was a personal donation that he had made himself, rather than on behalf of Supreme PLC, which is a listed company. He said that the firm neither markets or sells its products to children, he welcomes the Government’s plan to tackle youth vaping and has already begun changing the flavour names of his own-brand vapes.
A spokesman for Supreme PLC added: "Sandy Chadha, Group CEO of Supreme PLC has, historically, donated funds to the Conservative Party. These donations are unrelated to Supreme PLC, of which Mr Chadha is a shareholder, and were funded directly by Mr Chadha."
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, openly published by them, and comply fully with the law.”
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