Sunday, December 30, 2007
McCanns Financial Backers

Reward Contributors:

JK Rowling �?rags to riches �?from single parent on benefits to becoming the renowned writer of the Harry Potter Books. JK Rowling collaborated with Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a book of children's stories to aid One Parent Families.

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Sir Philip Green �?rags to riches - The man who sold shoes after leaving school with no qualifications is now Britain's richest retailer, according to the Times Rich List. He loaned McCann’s his private jet. Green donated £250,000 as a monetary reward for any useful public information.

According to The Independent on Sunday “He's [Sir Philip Green] not on Gordon Brown's new business leaders council but says his relationship with the Prime Minister is: "OK. I've spoken to him a few times. But I don't do politics, as such.�?BR>
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Sir Richard Branson�?rags to riches - he started as a chief of a magazine student to where he is now.

Launches Virgin Stem Cell Bank on 1st February 2007.

Sir Branson's official site: Virgin Health Bank website.

Richard Branson and Gordon Brown: The Independent on Sunday quotes: “He [Sir Richard Branson] plans to build more refineries in the east of the US, and then invest in biofuels in Britain. And he is in talks with Gordon Brown's officials about changing tax rules to enable him to run Virgin trains partly on them.�?BR>
mhl Support Ltd explains how “mhl's MD Nick McKay, was invited to join Sir Richard Branson and the Chancellor Gordon Brown at Sir Richard's home in Oxfordshire' earlier this month'�?BR>
And Richard Branson tells BBC News how he is a big fan of Gordon Browns.

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Bill Kenwright �?rags to riches - from ‘stumbling�?actor to successful theatrical producer. According to The Telegraph (3rd January 2005)

“The impresario Bill Kenwright was also on the list of those entertained by the taxpayer. Mr Kenwright, it will be remembered, donated £200,000 to the Labour Party.�?BR>
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Eggert Magnusson �?nothing known

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John Madejski �?from founder of Thames Valley Trader magazine which sold anything and everything, to chairman of the Football League club Reading F.C. in 1990, and has given his name to the club's Madejski Stadium, built in 1998 with £25 million largely contributed by him. In 2006 he led the Royals to the top tier of English football the first time in their 135-year history, and has since proposed plans for an expansion of the stadium to 38,000 seats. He’s also active in politics.

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Jacqueline Gold - daughter of David Gold, the owner of Birmingham City F.C., and who ran a publishing business which was responsible for bringing sex magazines to the high street. Jacqueline Gold became successful through creating the Ann Summers Party Plan range to households.

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Simon Cowell �?from working in a mail room to becoming an executive to Sony BMG. His maternal grandfather is Scottish. Apart from having a connection with Sir Philip Green, there is nothing (as far as I’m aware so far) linking Mr Cowell with anything else.


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Wayne Rooney �?Odd one out. Although he is not mentioned by name and does not imply that Wayne Rooney is involved, there is an article Footballers harvest babies for stem cell repair kits that may make some interesting reading.

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Michael Vaughan �?from lowly beginnings to becoming captain for the England Cricket Team. Vaughan has captained England to more Test wins than any of his predecessors. Other than that there doesn’t seem much else about him.

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Sir Tom Hunter �?rags to riches - Sir Tom Hunter was reportedly the first ever home-grown billionaire in Scotland. He is currently the richest individual in Scotland, his wealth was recently estimated at £1.05 billion.

In 2005, Sir Hunter invested £100,000 in a £500,000 joint project with the Scottish Executive.

The Scottish Government (SG) (Scottish Gaelic: Riaghaltas na h-Alba) is the executive arm of government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive which remains its legal name in accordance with the Scotland Act 1998. but, following the 2007 Scottish general election, its name was changed by the incoming Scottish National Party administration.

Along with Sir Christopher Evans (Welsh biotech entrepreneur), Sir Tom Hunter plans a £500m Healthcare Raid “targeting mature healthcare companies, with individual investments ranging from between £30m to £300m each.

It is thought that Evans and Hunter have already identified five serious takeover targets, including two British companies.�?BR>
The new fund is likely to lead to a significant expansion of Merlin and ultimately a more formal structure as well as a new name.

Earlier this year “Merlin�?teamed up with Sir Richard Branson to launch a stem-cell banking business.�?BR>
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Sir Stelio Haji-Ioannou �?rags to riches �?from working in his father’s shipping company to becoming a self-made tycoon, probably better known for EasyJet. Nothing else known about him.

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John Hargreaves �?from market stall holder selling Marks and Spencer seconds to becoming Chairman of the board for Matalan stores. Nothing else known about him.

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Other people involved:

Brian Kennedy - Double-glazing tycoon was revealed to be the latest mystery backer. He is paying Clarence Mitchell's wages and has offered his in-house lawyer Ed Smethurst. He is not the great uncle of Madeleine McCann, they merely share the same name Brian Kennedy.

Tycoon John Geraghty, (McCanns hire car kept in his garage his villa near Praia da Luz to, apparently, allow McCanns to do their own independent forensics.)

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Gordon Brown on Stem Cell Research

UK gets £100m Stem Cell Boost
“The UK's stem cell research programmes will benefit from £100m over the next two years after Gordon Brown doubled the government's financial committement to the technology, Reuters reports. Brown said the cash would go to "pre-commercial aspects of stem cell research" - considered high-risk by pharmaceutical companies - and the recently-established UK Stem Cell Foundation.�?BR>
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Not related to the above ‘McCann Backers�?but odd all the same. It appears Gordon Brown made his presence known in the pop world too. According to the Daily Mail:

“But he [Rhydian, X-Factor finalist] seems to have supporters in high places after Gordon Brown reportedly wrote an astonishing letter to Rhydian backing the loser in the phone vote scandal..

The Prime Minister is said to have penned the personal note to the Welsh Singer because of his "personal interest" in claims by fans that the show's final was rigged.

Media Secretary James Purnell has also asked to be kept informed about allegations that viewers deliberately blocked viewers from voting for Rhydian, 24.

“…Downing Street declined to comment on the letter to Rhydian, saying it was a "personal matter".

Gordon Brown certainly pops up in some of the least likely places.