Mick Davis calls for greater Tory funding on quitting his post

LEE HARPIN, JACK SOMMERS and JORDAN MOSHE

Davis, a former Eskom executive director and chief executive of multinational mining company Xstrata, wrote to the party’s biggest donors on Wednesday, saying, “One of my great bugbears has been the lack of unity in our party.”

Boris Johnson, elected leader on Tuesday and appointed prime minister on Wednesday afternoon, “should be free to choose a team at CCHQ [Conservative Campaign Headquarters]”, he wrote.

“Good politics is not a cheap exercise, and if we are not properly resourced and financed, we will risk a very bad outcome – Jeremy Corbyn in Number 10,” he said.

“Our new leader and prime minister can be effective only if a strong and unified party stands behind him. One of the key roles of CCHQ is to facilitate that outcome, but I’m asking you, our donors, upon whom we depend, to embrace that call for unity as well.

“There is today no room for bystanders. My successor will need your help, and I hope that you will step forward right now, and send a powerful message of unity, purpose, and commitment.”

Born in South Africa in 1958, Davis attended Theodor Herzl School in Port Elizabeth, and went on to attend Rhodes University, becoming a chartered accountant. After serving as senior manager with accountants Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co, Davis was appointed to Eskom before joining Glencore in 1994. He served as executive chairman of Ingwe Coal Corporation from 1995 until his appointment in 1997 as chief financial officer and executive director of Billiton.

Davis also served as chief executive of Xstrata from 2001, but left after the company was taken over by Glencore in 2013. Subsequently, he formed mining venture X2 Resources.

He was also president of the council of members of the Jewish Leadership Council of the United Kingdom, and chairman of its board of trustees. The Jewish Leadership Council is the umbrella body of the largest Jewish charities and institutions in the UK.

Owing to his chairing of the UK Holocaust Memorial Commission, Davis was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Heavily involved in politics, he was also appointed treasurer of the British Conservative Party in 2016, and chief executive of the party the following year.

In April, The Times reported that Sir Mick was using his own money to fund Tory campaigning in the European Parliamentary elections, as donors had deserted the party.

His task was to bolster party funds at a time when many of the party’s traditional donors were deserting it, mainly over fears that its Brexit position would be disastrous for business.

Sir Mick’s efforts are believed to have met only limited success, with political events beyond his control playing havoc with his efforts.

Sir Mick took over the party after the dire 2017 general-election result. He has long been a donor to the party, and is said to have earned £75 million (R1.2 trillion) when he left Xstrata as it was taken over in 2013.

In a sign that Theresa May recognised the challenges facing the party, she said on Sir Mick’s appointment, “The party will benefit from his entrepreneurial and leadership skills as he works with the team at Conservative Campaign Headquarters to make the improvements that we need, now and for the future.”

The significance of Davis’ resignation has been acknowledged across social media, with MPs paying tribute to him in tweets in the wake of his announcement. Fellow British Conservative Party politician Benjamin Bradley tweeted, “Important, I think, to recognise the work that Sir Mick Davis has done at @Conservatives HQ, and thank him for two years of detailed planning and improvement, and in many ways keeping the car on the road through the chaos. His massive contribution should not be forgotten.”

Businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft tweeted, “Sir Mick Davis has resigned as chief executive and treasurer of the Conservative Party, and leaves the board of the party. Mick brought discipline to the organisation, and will be difficult to replace.”

“We should all salute Mick Davis. He should go down as a dutiful and generous true hero. Without him, the party would probably have collapsed months ago,” tweeted MP Sir Alan Duncan.

• The original version of this story was first printed in The Jewish Chronicle, thejc.com