Flying lion Ltd

8 comments ↓

#1 David on 10.23.07 at 12:29 pm

Tom

Quickest way to find out is to do a Companies House Search. You can pay a small amount to get their annual return and most recently filed accounts. For a small company such as this, the more useful doc is usually the annual return as it lists the directors; small companies are exempted from filing full accounts typically being restricted to a short form balance sheet.

There are various web companies (eg Onesource.com) who provide access to these documents.

#2 Tony Clarke on 10.23.07 at 12:30 pm

Tom,

Questions have already been asked in the house on this one see

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/templates/search/document.cfm/15546

and a google search brings up a host of hits.

I came across your query when directed from another Labour Blog site. http://www.labourhome.org Where all hell has let loose over my problems in Northampton South.

You may want to have a look. I am sure that some of the protagonists are party employees.

Hope you are well.

Tony

#3 Unity on 10.23.07 at 6:20 pm

According to the Times (May 16, 2006) Flying Lion is another of Michael Ashcroft’s front operations:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article719003.ece

Mr Ancram’s bemusement rings through in a letter to Sam Younger, the Electoral Commission chairman, obtained by The Times under the Freedom of Information Act: “Dear Sam, I remain somewhat confused about the position of Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow DFID and Shadow Defence Secretary and their teams for whom sponsored foreign travel is effectively the only way that they can carry out their duties as members of HM Opposition. From our conversation I believe that we both see this as somewhat of a grey area and, although it no longer affects me, I believe it is one which would benefit from clarification.

“Flying Lion Ltd is owned by Lord Ashcroft of Chichester KC MG, formerly treasurer of the Conservative Party and now deputy chairman and a donor to the party of long standing.”

Andrew Mitchell, currently the Shadow International Development Secretary, is the only MP who declared to the commission his gifts of £12,000 travel to Africa from the offshore company before The Times began investigating. He seems to have known little of his sponsor, e-mailing the commission: “Somewhat akin to The Da Vinci Code this one, but I have finally tracked down the address for Flying Lions.”

#4 Lobster Blogster on 10.24.07 at 11:38 pm

Flying Lion Ltd appear to run one aircraft. Registration VP-BMS which is a Dassault Falcon 900EX.

Here’s a picture of the same:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0086041&size=M&width=869&height=579&sok=JURER%20%20%28nveyvar%20%3D%20%27Sylvat%20Yvba%20YGQ%27%29%20%20BEQRE%20OL%20cubgb_vq%20QRFP&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=NEXTID

VP-B means it is registered in Bermida.

It’s currently up for sale via an aviation company in Florida.
http://www.aviationbusinessindex.com/aircraft_details.asp?aircraft=14353

#5 Political Penguin on 10.24.07 at 11:59 pm

You might be interested in this little post Tom.
http://www.politicalpenguin.org.uk/blog/p,262/

#6 Croslander on 10.25.07 at 11:34 am

I vaguely remember Flying Lion giving Michael Howard some free flights from a past Register of Members Interests, but I could be wrong.

#7 Political Penguin » Flying with Con Air on 09.01.08 at 3:52 am

[...] other day Tom Watson posed the question who are Flying Lion Limited? Always up for a bit of an investigative challenge I decided to have a little look around to see [...]

#8 RecessMonkey » Blog Archive » So where’s that Tblisijet, Dave? on 09.10.08 at 7:28 am

[...] Could it be that he’s too embarrassed to admit that he flew on ConAir – Lord Cashcroft’s Flying Lion Ltd? [...]

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