Barry Townsley

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Barry Stephen Townsley CBE (born 14 October 1946) is a British businessman and philanthropist. He sold his stockbroking business, Townsley & Co., to the Dutch private bank Insinger de Beaufort. In June 2005 he set up a financial services venture, Dawnay Day Townsley.^[1]

He is married to Laura Wolfson, daughter of Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson of the GUS retail company. He was a governer of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and supporter of The Israel Center for Social & Economic Progress.

[edit] "Cash for peerages"

He was a member and supporter of the Labour party, recorded as donating "more than £5,000" before 2001 and £6,000 since 2001. He also donated £10,000 to the London Mayor campaign of Frank Dobson.^[2]

Described as "colourful" by The Times,^[3] Townsley was involved in the so-called "cash for peerages" scandal in March 2006, in which it was revealed that he had lent £1m to the Labour Party^[4] at the solicitation of Lord Levy, and contributed £1.5m to a City Academy in Hillingdon. He was nominated for a peerage shortly after making the loan, but in February 2006 he withdrew from the nomination on the grounds of press intrusion into his private life.