Green cash bonanza for Tory donor

Millions for bus firm boss who gave £74k

- MIKEY SMITH

A TORY donor whose father lends Boris Johnson his helicopter has won millions of pounds in government green cash.

Jo Bamford, son of JCB boss Lord Bamford, has set himself up in the hydrogen fuel industry - which will be big business at next month's COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

The self-styled “green entrepreneur” bought collapsed bus-maker Wrightbus in 2019 and set up his own Bamford Bus Company.

The firm has since landed a share of £700million-worth of contracts from government bodies to supply hydrogen buses.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced in March that Wrightbus had been awarded an £11.2million grant to develop new hydrogen technology. And Mr. Bamford has been pressing for another £500million of taxpayers' cash to finance a 3,000-strong fleet of hydrogen buses produced by firms like his.

Asked if hed personally lobbied Mr. Johnson, Mr. Bamford said last year: “Of course I speak to people in the Government but I haven't spoken to Boris. He's the Prime Minister - he's way above my pay grade.”