About Lord Ashcroft
Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For more information on his life and career, visit www.lordashcroft.com. Follow him on Twitter: @LordAshcroft and/ or Facebook: fb.com/LordAshcroft.
Lord Ashcroft is a life-long supporter of the Conservative Party in the UK and has served as both Treasurer and, later, Deputy Chairman. In 2000, he was knighted and became a member of the House of Lords (Lord Ashcroft of Chichester), a position he resigned in 2015 in order to concentrate on other interests. He was also the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Veterans’ Transition for six years until 2018, working with departments to ensure military veterans received the support they needed when making the move to civilian life.
After nearly half a century as an entrepreneur, working in both the UK and overseas, particularly the US, Lord Ashcroft continues to be an active investor in new ideas. At various points in his business career, he has run companies employing more than 100,000 people and conducted huge merger and takeover deals.
Over the decades, Lord Ashcroft has donated tens of millions of pounds to good causes. In 2013, he signed up to The Giving Pledge, thereby making a public commitment to donate at least half of his wealth to charity. He has donated money to a wide range of charities, including those dealing with crime-prevention and education. He is the founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers, Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University in Essex from 2001 to 2020, Chairman of the Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy in south-west London and a Trustee of the Cleveland Clinic in the US.
Lord Ashcroft has a passion for bravery and over a period of more than 30 years has amassed the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs), currently standing at more than 200 in total. These and other gallantry medals are on public display at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum in south London. The gallery was established using a £5 million donation from Lord Ashcroft.
As this website testifies, Lord Ashcroft also campaigns vigorously on wildlife issues. He commissioned two undercover investigations into captive-bred lion “farming" in South Africa. His book, Unfair Game, published in June 2020, detailed his findings, along for his calls for cruel and sometimes illegal practices to be halted. In 2007, he intervened to try to prevent the Japanese government from overturning the ban on whale hunting. In conjunction with the Environmental Investigations Agency, a campaigning organisation, he commissioned a major advertising campaign to persuade six small Caribbean nations not to support Japan’s moves. In 2020, he wrote a major newspaper article criticising Norway, one of the world’s richest country, for continuing to hunt whales. In 2018, Lord Ashcroft highlighted the problems of rhino poaching in Africa by sponsoring a conservation project for military veterans in South Africa. In the past, he has also supported the Tusk Trust, set up to protect elephants and other African wildlife.
Lord Ashcroft is an award-winning author who has written 26 books, mostly on politics and bravery. He co-authored Call Me Dave: The unauthorised biography of David Cameron and wrote Dirty Politics, Dirty Times: My fight with Wapping and New Labour. He has also written a number of books on bravery linked to his gallantry medal collections.
Lord Ashcroft's polling is used and respected all over the world. His interest in polling began in the run-up to the 2005 general election, when he commissioned research to find out why the Conservatives had failed to recover from their crushing defeat in 1997. He developed this role further when he was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party under David Cameron. Since the 2010 election, Lord Ashcroft has continued his polling, making the results available to the public. He has written numerous books and pamphlets based on his polling.
After nearly half a century as an entrepreneur, working in both the UK and overseas, particularly the US, Lord Ashcroft continues to be an active investor in new ideas. At various points in his business career, he has run companies employing more than 100,000 people and conducted huge merger and takeover deals.
Over the decades, Lord Ashcroft has donated tens of millions of pounds to good causes. In 2013, he signed up to The Giving Pledge, thereby making a public commitment to donate at least half of his wealth to charity. He has donated money to a wide range of charities, including those dealing with crime-prevention and education. He is the founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers, Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University in Essex from 2001 to 2020, Chairman of the Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy in south-west London and a Trustee of the Cleveland Clinic in the US.
Lord Ashcroft has a passion for bravery and over a period of more than 30 years has amassed the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs), currently standing at more than 200 in total. These and other gallantry medals are on public display at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum in south London. The gallery was established using a £5 million donation from Lord Ashcroft.
As this website testifies, Lord Ashcroft also campaigns vigorously on wildlife issues. He commissioned two undercover investigations into captive-bred lion “farming" in South Africa. His book, Unfair Game, published in June 2020, detailed his findings, along for his calls for cruel and sometimes illegal practices to be halted. In 2007, he intervened to try to prevent the Japanese government from overturning the ban on whale hunting. In conjunction with the Environmental Investigations Agency, a campaigning organisation, he commissioned a major advertising campaign to persuade six small Caribbean nations not to support Japan’s moves. In 2020, he wrote a major newspaper article criticising Norway, one of the world’s richest country, for continuing to hunt whales. In 2018, Lord Ashcroft highlighted the problems of rhino poaching in Africa by sponsoring a conservation project for military veterans in South Africa. In the past, he has also supported the Tusk Trust, set up to protect elephants and other African wildlife.
Lord Ashcroft is an award-winning author who has written 26 books, mostly on politics and bravery. He co-authored Call Me Dave: The unauthorised biography of David Cameron and wrote Dirty Politics, Dirty Times: My fight with Wapping and New Labour. He has also written a number of books on bravery linked to his gallantry medal collections.
Lord Ashcroft's polling is used and respected all over the world. His interest in polling began in the run-up to the 2005 general election, when he commissioned research to find out why the Conservatives had failed to recover from their crushing defeat in 1997. He developed this role further when he was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party under David Cameron. Since the 2010 election, Lord Ashcroft has continued his polling, making the results available to the public. He has written numerous books and pamphlets based on his polling.