Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

Partner in Saudi bid to buy Newcastle United is major Tory donor

Partner in Saudi bid to buy Newcastle United is major Tory donor

Jamie Reuben’s involvement in bid supported by Boris Johnson raises more cronyism questions

An investor in the planned takeover of Newcastle United that received high-level support from Boris Johnson last year is a major Conservative party donor who has personally funded the prime minister’s constituency office and leadership campaign.

Jamie Reuben, 34, his father, David, and uncle Simon, who own the Reuben Brothers property development empire, were co-investors with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the financier Amanda Staveley, in the £300m bid to buy the Premier League club from Mike Ashley.

The deal stalled last May as the Premier League reportedly pressed PIF, whose chairman is the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, for clarity about its structure, and whether it is a government entity.

According to leaked messages reported by the Daily Mail this month, Prince Mohammed privately contacted Johnson in June, complaining about the delay and warning him that if the Premier League blocked the takeover, it would have “a negative impact on both our countries [sic] economic and commercial relations”.

The Saudi-Reuben Brothers-Staveley consortium ultimately withdrew from the deal on 30 July, blaming the “unforeseeably prolonged process”.

In September, according to the leaked messages, Johnson asked his adviser Edward Lister to investigate the chances of the deal being revived. When Lister told the prime minister that he was hopeful it was back on, Johnson reportedly replied: “Brilliant.”

Jamie Reuben

Jamie Reuben has previously donated £700,000 to the Conservative party and Johnson’s support for a deal that was being pursued by such a substantial donor, and which followed personal messages from Prince Mohammed, raises further questions surrounding allegations of cronyism, and whether business figures and political donors enjoy privileged access to the prime minister and his government.

Under the league’s “owners and directors test” there were potentially deal-breaking concerns about a Saudi state entity owning a club, following the finding that persistent piracy of international football TV rights had been carried out from Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi takeover of a Premier League club was also hugely sensitive following the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, in which Prince Mohammed has been implicated by the UN and other official reports.

A source with knowledge of the deal said they have been shocked to discover Prince Mohammed’s intervention with Johnson, because he was supposed to be keeping out of the deal, given the case the PIF was making that it was separate from the Saudi government.

A spokesman for Reuben Brothers told the Guardian Jamie Reuben did not contact the prime minister about the Newcastle takeover.

“We’re not denying that Jamie has a relationship with Boris Johnson and they talk,” the spokesman said, “but Jamie is quite specific that he hasn’t contacted or talked to him or Lord Lister about the Newcastle deal.”

Downing Street did not directly answer questions about whether the prime minister had contact or discussions with Jamie Reuben about the Newcastle deal, but denied seeking to influence it. A government spokesperson said: “This was a commercial matter for the parties concerned and the government has not been involved at any point in influencing the Newcastle United takeover talks.”

Jamie Reuben first donated £35,000 to the Tory party in 2012, and has donated more than £700,000 to the party altogether, including £50,000 to Johnson personally in the run-up to the 2019 Conservative leadership election. In October and November 2019, before the general election at which Johnson was elected prime minister, Reuben made two donations of £200,000, and one of £48,000.

A further donation from Reuben made in December 2019, of £123,750, was the provision of offices owned by the Reubens for use by the party. A company in which Jamie Reuben is a director, Investors in Private Capital Ltd (IIPC), has donated a total of £1.98m more to the Conservatives, including £25,000 to Johnson’s own office in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency in March 2015.

Another of Reuben’s companies, Melbury Capital, states on its website that he served as the committee chairman for Johnson’s re-election campaign as London mayor in 2012 and 2019 [presumed to refer to Johnson’s Conservative party leadership campaign], and that Reuben is currently a treasurer of the Tory party.

Jamie’s father, David, made a registered donation to Johnson of £4,000 in 2008, consisting of prizes provided for auction. The Reuben family was also a substantial donor to Zac Goldsmith’s constituency of Richmond Park while he was an MP. In 2016, a spokesman told the Guardian that the Reuben and Goldsmith families had known each other well for many years and that Jamie and Dana, Simon Reuben’s daughter who donated £26,000, had become “good friends with Zac”.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
×