London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

Kwarteng did not share tax insights at drinks party, says Tory chairman

Kwarteng did not share tax insights at drinks party, says Tory chairman

The Conservative Party chairman has defended the chancellor after a report claimed he discussed confidential plans for the economy with financiers at a private champagne reception.

Jake Berry said Kwasi Kwarteng had not shared any insights at the party - which he was also at - held in the hours after his mini-budget last week.

The Sunday Times said hedge fund managers, who might gain from a crash in the pound, had "egged him" on.

Lib Dems have called for an inquiry.

Senior Labour MP Angela Eagle also said the matter needed investigating, calling it "utterly improper or worse".

After the chancellor's tax-cutting mini-budget on 23 September, he attended a gathering at the Chelsea home of a City financier where he gave guests insights about planned spending cuts, according to the Sunday Times.

Speaking to Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Berry insisted that was not the case.

"I can categorically rule out that in terms of the address he made to the group of people who were there as part of this normal treasurer's event, he did not give any insight into future plans and I'm sure in terms of his private conversations he didn't give any," he said.

Mr Berry said he did not see the chancellor drink champagne and pointed out that drinks receptions were often held for Conservative Party donors, just as they were for Labour and Lib Dem donors.

The event was not for hedge fund managers, but rather for "Britain's leading entrepreneurs", he added, although he admitted he knew of at least one hedge fund manager who was there.

Mr Berry insisted no confidential information was discussed and the event was "part of the normal drumbeat of treasurer events within the Conservative Party".

"I'm not sure any of them did make money from the crash in the pound," he added.

Liz Truss told Laura Kuenssberg said it was the chancellor's job to meet business people


Asked about the report on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Prime Minister Liz Truss said: "The chancellor meets business people all the time, that's his job.

"I do not manage Kwasi Kwarteng's diary, believe me."

Pressed on whether it would have been better if he had not gone as people struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, she said the chancellor and cabinet were focused on bettering the country.

The Lib Dems have called for an official inquiry into the reception.

"While struggling homeowners saw their mortgage bills spiral, it seems the chancellor was sipping champagne with hedge fund managers profiting from the falling pound," the party's Treasury spokeswoman Sarah Olney said.

"How out of touch can you get?"

In his mini-budget, the chancellor unveiled the biggest tax cuts in a generation, including scrapping the 45p rate of tax for top earners and the cap on bankers' bonuses.

The announcements sparked days of turbulence in financial markets, with the pound falling to a record low against the US dollar on Monday, although it has since recovered.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×