(The Guardian)
Billionaire tax exiles, the British National party, Saudi royals and oil-rich Gulf states have claimed millions of pounds in taxpayer-funded furlough money, the Guardian can disclose.
The revelations, based on analysis of government information, have sparked dismay among MPs at the use of a scheme designed to support struggling businesses and prevent mass unemployment, with one complaining of public money being scattered “like confetti”.
Beneficiaries behind companies that have drawn on the coronavirus job retention scheme include:
- Members of the Saudi royal family
- Qataris behind Harrods and the Ritz
- The ruler of Dubai
- Tax exiles Jim Ratcliffe and Guy Hands
- Billionaires Evgeny Lebedev, Len Blavatnik and Mohamed Al Fayed
- The British National party
