Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft KCMG (born March 4, 1946) is a British businessman and politician who has been a member of the House of Lords since 2000. He also holds Belize nationality. On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Biography

Michael Ashcroft was educated at Anglia Polytechnic University and became a management trainee at Rothmans. The Anglia Polytechnic University is a university in the United Kingdom, with campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford. ... Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. ...

From 1977 he developed an international business services company, ADT Limited, which was sold to US conglomerate Tyco for £2.5 billion in 1997. He is now chairman of Carlisle Holdings Limited (Nasdaq) which has interests in facilities services, finance and telecommunications. It is the parent company of The Belize Bank and has a a 26 percent share in Belize Telecommunications. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Tyco has been used as the name for a number of distinct companies: Tyco International is a Bermuda-based conglomerate. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NASDAQ MarketSite (Times Square, New York City) at night NASDAQ (originally an acronym for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is a U.S. electronic stock market. ...

Michael Ashcroft has other business connections with Belize, and was appointed as the Belize government's Permanent Representative to the United Nations up to April 2000. He has made large donations to the People's United Party of Belize. This law-related article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

UK politics

In the UK, he was a major donor to and Treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1998 to 2001 under William Hague. His tenure was marked by a number of controversies: he was seen to pay little UK income tax due to his domicile in Belize; he gained overseas donations for the Party which some thought inappropriate; and he was at the centre of a debate about openness and accountability of political funding. The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ... 1998(MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... William Hague The Right Honourable William Jefferson Hague (born March 26, 1961) is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Richmond, North Yorkshire and a former leader of the Conservative Party. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Unsubstantiated speculation about his business affairs was concluded when he pursued a libel action against The Times. This was settled on 9 December 1999 when The Times issued a statement that "[...] Litigation between the parties has been settled to mutual satisfaction, with each side bearing its own costs". The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

In 2004 he clashed with Conservative leader Michael Howard when he offered a £2m donation on the condition that it should go to his specified candidates, rather than into general Conservative Central Office funds. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Howard The Right Honourable Michael Howard, QC, MP (born July 7, 1941) is a British politician and caretaker Leader of the Opposition and the Conservative Party, having formally resigned the post on 7 October 2005. ...

US DEA Leak Scandal

In the US, an intelligence research specialist for the Drug Enforcement Agency, Jonathan Randel, leaked Ashcroft's name as being in the DEA's files, although it later emerged that Ashcroft was one of 5 million people they had files on. Randel claims to have believed the DEA was ignoring Ashcroft in its investigation of money laundering, so Ashcroft sued. A U.S. attorney investigated Randel for his leak. On January 9, 2003, Randel was sentenced to a year in a federal prison, followed by three years probation.

Honours

In March 2000 he was appointed as a life peer in the House of Lords with the title Baron Ashcroft, of Chichester in the county of West Sussex. In June 2000 he was awarded a KCMG for public service to the community and country of Belize. This article is about the year 2000. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ...

He has been Chancellor of Anglia Polytechnic University since November 2001, and has donated £5 million for the university's business school at Chelmsford, now called Ashcroft International Business School. The Anglia Polytechnic University is a university in the United Kingdom, with campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Chelmsford is a town in the county of Essex, in the United Kingdom. ...

He ranked 54th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2005, with an estimated personal wealth of £797m. (Approximately $1.4bn) The Sunday Times Rich List 2005 lists the 1000 richest individuals or families living in the United Kingdom as measured in January 2005. ...

He is also known for his collection of Victoria Cross medals, which is reputed to contain about 100 examples, which would probably be the largest private collection of VCs ever assembled. Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ...

External links

• The Times libel statement
• Guardian section on Ashcroft