Tory donor's demolition firm named in £150m bribery plot

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Brendan Kerr's company Keltbray has donated £280,000 to the Tories since 2008 and was among 10 demolition companies implicated in an illegal cartel that rigged the tenders

Keltbray chairman Brendan Kerr, whose firm has given nearly £280,000 to the Tories since 2008

A Tory donor's company has been named in connection with a £150million bribery plot.

Keltbray was among 10 demolition companies in an illegal cartel holding tenders for work at 19 sites.

The Competition and Markets Authority's investigation is likely to result in fines of up to tens of millions of pounds among the 10 companies.

Keltbray chairman Brendan Kerr was invited to a Tory fundraising dinner with Boris Johnson in 2009.

His company has donated almost £280,000 to the Conservatives since 2008. The most recent sum was £20,000 last year.

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Keltbray chairman Brendan Kerr attended a fundraising dinner with Boris Johnson (

Picture:

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Michael Grenfell, CMA's Executive Director for Enforcement, said: "The construction industry is hugely important to Britain's economic well-being.

"Bid-rigging can lead to worse deals, leaving businesses, and sometimes taxpayers, at a loss."

The CMA launched its investigation in 2019. Eight companies, including Keltbray, have already acknowledged their role.

But Keltbray is not one of seven 'losing' firms to receive secret payments (one over £500,000) from the winning bidder.

Announcing its findings against all the companies, the CMA said: "These offers were rigged with the deliberate intent to cause the customer to believe that they were competitive."