United and Cecil Club
| Abbreviation | U&C |
|---|---|
| Named after | Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury |
| Formation | 1949 |
| Merger of | United Club (1881) and Cecil Club (1882) |
| Type | Members' association |
| Purpose | Raise funds for Conservative candidates |
| Headquarters | 18 Thorney Lane North Iver Buckinghamshire SL0 9JY |
|
Membership (2007)
|
Approx 400 |
| Affiliations | Conservative Party |
The United and Cecil Club (U&C) is a British dining club with close links to the Conservative Party. Formed in 1949 following the merger of the United Club and the Cecil Club, the club is the seventh-largest donor to the Conservatives, and focuses its donations on marginal seats. Club members have been accused of taking advantage of a loophole in political fundraising laws to donate large sums to the Conservatives without declaring them.
The two forerunners to the U&C were both formed in the 1880s following the death of the unifying figure Benjamin Disraeli. The Constituencies Union, which later became the United Club, was formed in 1881 to raise funds for Conservatives in difficult constituencies, while the National Review and Cecil Club was formed in 1882 by supporters of the Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury to publish the journal National Review. These served as bastions of conservatism during the National Government eras, but following the Second World War were merged by Winston Churchill, who served as president of both.
The membership of the club is private. However, in response to a question from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in 2007, the club declared that it had around 400 members, who each paid membership fees of £100 annually. The club meets once a month while Parliament is in session for a total of eight dinners a year, and four of those dinners take place in the private banquet halls at the House of Commons. Dinners include a speech from a senior Conservative politician, and speakers have included John Major and David Cameron.
These dinners were subject to a complaint in 2006 from Labour MPs John Mann and Kevan Jones, who alleged that they constituted the illegal use of House of Commons facilities for party fundraising. An investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found that the meals at the Commons were charged at cost, and that the club's fundraising activities were restricted to events outside Parliament.
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