A wealthy supporter of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has been revealed as an admirer of the far-right figure Enoch Powell. Gary Dutton expressed his admiration for Powell, known for his controversial “Rivers of blood” speech predicting a race war, citing his visionary qualities. Dutton, a businessman who enjoys yachting, urged David Cameron to halt immigration entirely. Powell, who was dismissed from the Tory shadow cabinet in 1968 for his anti-immigration stance, once famously warned about a future where black people dominate white individuals.
Dutton, aged 76, contributed £10,000 to Reform’s Lee Anderson this year and previously donated £45,000 through his company. Additionally, his firm funded a £1,500 trip for Anderson, nicknamed “30p Lee,” to France last month. Reform UK, currently leading in polls, has proposed mass deportations of asylum seekers. In a recently surfaced autobiography excerpt, Dutton mentioned Powell among his admired figures, alongside Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, and the Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Powell’s speech preceded the second reading of the Labour government’s Race Relations Bill, which aimed to prevent discrimination based on ethnicity in housing, employment, and public services. Farage had reportedly sought Powell’s support for his by-election campaign two decades earlier. In his book “The Business Builder” from 2012, Dutton recounted a conversation with David Cameron, where he advocated for strict immigration controls, less political correctness, and exiting the EU to focus on common market principles.
Dutton also highlighted concerns about globalisation eroding traditional English values and sovereignty in his book. His company, E.I.R.P Ltd, contributed £20,000 to Reform UK in 2020 and £25,000 in 2019 when it was the Brexit Party. Dutton personally donated £5,000 twice to Anderson this year. E.I.R.P Ltd covered expenses worth £1,500 for Anderson’s trip to France last month. Dutton, recognized with an MBE in 2008 for his manufacturing contributions, appeared in the Sunday Times Rich List in 2020 with assets valued at £134 million. Reform UK has been approached for comments.