Ken still refuses to disclose his full tax and income details despite promising to do so two weeks ago
In an article for The Independent the veteran Labour MP demands to know whether Mr Crosby has benefited personally from his “complex web” of “offshore interests” and his status as a non-domicile resident, which allows him to avoid having to declare income earned overseas to the UK tax man as long as it is not brought into the UK.
On Thursday the British Labour Party called on Mr Crosby to explain his links to two companies based in Malta after the Evening Standard reported that Mr Crosby was a director of Rutland Ltd and a shareholder in Rutland Holdings Ltd and that both companies shared a Maltese address with Bentley Trust (Malta), a financial services firm offering "legitimate mitigation" of tax. Electoral guru, Australian Lynton Crosby
Mr Crosby’s complicated network of business interests reveals “a man who appears to be up to his neck in tax avoidance,” according to Margaret Hodge, who has played a key role in challenging multinational corporations such as Google and Starbucks over tax avoidance in her role as chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
Complex Tax Affairs
Earlier this year Lynton Crosby was accused of recycling a ten-year-old ‘attack ad’ the Liberal Party used in the 2004 Australian elections, to criticise Ed Miliband in the general election. At the time the advert was used in Australia, the Tory election strategist was helping to run the Liberal Party’s election campaign.
Now it appears Crosby may have been ‘inspired’ once again by his former employer. Hugh Whitfeld, Europe Correspondent for the Australian Seven Network, has spotted a remarkable likeness between today’s Tory manifesto cover and one used by the Liberal Party of Australia as a cover to their policy book.
Inspiration from the Australian Liberal Party
Lynton Crosby was key to making the Iraqi asylum seekers issue a prime message in John Howard's 2001 election win. ‘Mythical’ Lynton Crosby is master of ‘wedge politics’ in Australia
I’ve never thought the Tories bringing back Lynton Crosby to run their 2015 election campaign was a good idea. I said so two years ago on the New Statesman website, comparing Crosby to Monty Panesar (makes sense in context, trust me).
Nick Tyrone on Crosby
Lynton Crosby AO @LyntonKCrosby ·
How does the BBC describe Hollande's 52:48pc win as "clear" and "decisive" but Boris Johnson's 51.5:48.5pc as "narrow"? Tax funded bias?