A prominent Labour donor and former adviser to Andy Burnham vows to withhold all future contributions until Keir Starmer steps down as Prime Minister. Sacha Lord, the entrepreneur behind the Parklife Festival and Warehouse Project, es deep disillusionment with Starmer, labeling him “toxic.”
Donor’s Fierce Criticism
Lord states he feels “duped” by the leadership. “I feel lied to, I feel conned,” he declares. “As a Labour Party donor, I would never give another penny under its current leadership. It’s absolutely disgusting—just parking my sector to one side and we’re being absolutely crucified. We’ve got conversations about paedophilia and sex trafficking right to the heart of government. We are a global embarrassment at the moment.”
He had rallied hospitality industry colleagues to support Labour during the last election, confident that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would champion small independent businesses and revitalize high streets. However, the immediate hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions after the landslide victory, followed by sharp increases in business rates, left him stunned.
Regrets and Sector Concerns
Lord admits profound regret over his efforts to secure Labour’s win. “Absolutely. I bitterly regret it, I absolutely do,” he says. He highlights unprecedented anxiety in the hospitality sector, noting, “I’ve never felt, in my sector, more concerned about what’s going to happen in the next few months.”
Both Reeves and Starmer have failed to engage with the hospitality industry, he claims. Lord forecasts Starmer’s ousting via leadership coup following May’s local elections, where Labour risks losing many dedicated councillors “through no fault of their own thanks to the PM and Rachel Reeves.”
“This is death by a thousand cuts… we’re watching the whole thing crumble,” he warns. Lord upholds traditional Labour values but views the current party as “completely out of control.” He questions who is truly governing amid a divided nation, with leaders focused on self-preservation.
Starmer’s absence from the Gorton and Denton by-election underscores his toxicity, according to Lord.
Support from Rayner and Burnham
At a recent night-time economy conference in Liverpool, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham received praise from Lord. Rayner urged Reeves to slash taxes and reduce red tape for businesses, cautioning that frequent policy shifts erode confidence in politics.
Rayner shares insights from discussions with local and regional businesses: “Over the last few weeks, I’ve spoken candidly with businesses in my own constituency, and many beyond it, and they say it’s a huge challenge that they’re facing, and it’s a challenge just to stay afloat. Customers aren’t just there in the way they used to be, as business rates remain punishingly high, energy bills soar and costs in your supply chains and VAT bite.”
Lord calls Rayner’s stance “so refreshing” and describes it as a “huge intervention.”
