Conservative Donor and Government Trade Advisor ‘Caught on Tape Attempting to Secretly Take £100,000’ From Fellow Tory Donor and Business Associate

A Government trade advisor and major Conservative Party donor was allegedly caught on tape attempting to “secretly” take a six-figure sum of money that he knew belonged to his business partner and fellow Conservative donor, a court has heard.

David Meller CBE, a prominent Conservative supporter and associate of party grandees Michael Gove and Nadim Zahawi, was last September elevated by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch to the Board of Trade where he advises the government on economic matters.

Prior to that, at the height of the pandemic, Mr Meller won COVID contracts worth £164 million after being referred to the ‘VIP Lane’ by his long-standing political ally, Gove.  

In another pre-election headache for the Conservative Party, Mr Meller’s “remarkable” business practices – and his credentials to be on the prestigious body – have again come under the spotlight following the emergence of a transcript of a recording in which the businessman asked a director of one of his companies to transfer him £100,000.

This was despite him allegedly appearing to acknowledge the money belonged to Michael Sherwood, a multi-millionaire investment banker with whom Mr Meller has done business for at least 20 years.

According to the transcript, relayed in documents filed in court during a hearing on 7 June, Mr Meller asked John Collins, his fellow director in property investment firm T&P Real Estate, not to inform Mr Sherwood of his unsanctioned request and for the transaction to be kept “secret”.

However, the court was told Mr Collins “refused to facilitate the payment”, stating that “the only money in the company had been invested by Sherwood”.

A transcript of the recording, which Mr Meller does not contest features him, but instead says related to money from another company, was deployed in a case management hearing as part of a litigation action he has brought against T&P Real Estate. 

Byline Times has heard the recording in full.

Harry Samuels for T&P Real Estate said: “The transcript shows that Mr Meller approached Mr Collins seeking to extract £100,000 out of [T&P Real Estate], which Mr Meller asked to be kept secret from Mr Sherwood. 

“Mr Collins stated that the only money in the company had been invested by Mr. Sherwood, and refused to facilitate such a payment.” 

Guy Harper, on behalf of Mr Meller, disagreed that the recording was relevant to the case. He claims that the conversation between Mr Meller and Mr Collins was in relation to a separate company, and not T&P Real Estate.

While court reporting is covered by Qualified Privilege, meaning Byline Times was not required to put the allegations to Mr Meller, we did so as part of our commitment to responsible journalism, via Mr Harper.

Mr Harper said that the “allegations concerning the recording are false and represent a serious misrepresentation of the content of the recording”.  

In truth, Mr Harper said, the discussion “did not concern T&P Real Estate Limited”, that Mr Meller “did not ask Mr Collins ‘to keep the transaction secret’, or ‘to not inform Mr Sherwood of his unsanctioned request’”.

Mr Harper added that “the funds that were the subject of the recording did not ‘actually belong[ ] to Michael Sherwood’, and instead “belonged to a separate project company in connection with which Mr Meller had recently extended a loan that he was told was needed to complete that project, which remains unpaid.”

Mr Harper said Mr Collins did not “refuse to facilitate such a payment”, and instead said “Mr Collins offered it to Mr Meller”.       

Mr Harper also said the allegations in respect of the recording were “given no real consideration in the submissions in support of T&P’s application against Mr Meller for expert evidence to be adduced and no consideration in the Court’s judgment in that application.” 

“That application was dismissed by the Court without the need for Mr Meller’s barrister even to open his submissions. The total failure of that application against Mr Meller rather speaks for itself,” he added. 

However, the application related to the appointment of an expert in the field of forensic recovery of digital information to recover documents deleted by Mr Meller.

Mr Harper said: “Against this background, there is an obvious danger that any article that you publish…would carry the implication that Mr Meller was in some way involved in, or responsible for, inappropriate activity. 

“As this is not true, and there is no proper basis for alleging it, we ask that, pursuant to your obligation of responsible journalism, you ensure that any article which is published does not, and could not, give rise to this serious, potentially highly damaging and false implication.”

Byline Times is publishing the story today under Qualified Privilege, in the public interest, and with the ultimate defence for defamation – truth.

This newspaper has previously written about the extensive political network behind Mr Meller’s rise through the world of business and finance, which has given him great access to the world of politics, and the Conservative government.    

We reported how, after Mr Meller’s small family beauty firm Meller Designs was awarded six large government deals to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) in 2020, Mr Meller sold the company, which was first set up in 1913 by his grandfather, in January 2021. 

Since then, Mr Meller has seen his “remarkable” business practices come under the microscope during the case. 

This newspaper reported on a previous hearing in February during which Mr Meller admitted a “penchant” for deleting emails, including during the period in which he won the lucrative government PPE contracts, and that he tends to organise high-value business deals “orally” rather than in writing, and doesn’t use a computer.

The case concerns a 2019 multi-million property redevelopment deal Mr Meller is alleged to have provided funding towards in association with former Goldman Sachs vice- chairman Mr Sherwood, one of several the businessmen did together.

Nicknamed ‘Woody’, Sherwood was once one of the City’s highest-paid bankers with a wealth of £185 million, but the 58-year-old quit the firm in 2016 after failing to disclose a request for a £40 million loan from controversial British retailer Sir Philip Green, with whom he had a close friendship and a shared partiality to expensive yachts.

Mr Meller is taking action against property investment company T&P Real Estate, claiming he is owed £1.4 million following the failure of one deal, for which there was no written contract in place. 

A single WhatsApp message, sent by former T&P director Josh Garside to Mr Meller, is said to be the only written proof in existence pertaining to any part of the negotiations, the terms of which are disputed by both parties. 

Mr Meller is seeking all of his money back from T&P Real Estate Ltd, plus interest and an exit fee, claiming any money he placed into the £14.5 million redevelopment in Sutton, Surrey, was only ever a loan.

In response, T&P Real Estate Ltd have launched a counterclaim against Mr Meller.

Byline Times will continue to cover the case, which will go to trial in January.