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It’s a coup that would additional rock the panorama of British politics.
Reform UK’s chief Nigel Farage has secured the assist of billionaire property tycoon Nick Sweet, who has left the Conservatives to grow to be Mr Farage’s get together’s new treasurer.
Mr Sweet is the most recent high-profile Tory member to defect to Reform UK, after former MP Andrea Jenkyns becoming a member of Reform final month to grow to be the get together’s mayoral candidate for Lincolnshire.
Conservative Dwelling founder Tim Montgomerie additionally switched final week because the get together tasted a surge within the polls after Sir Keir Starmer’s “reset” speech.
With him, Mr Sweet, who’s married to Australian singer and actress Holly Valance, brings heavy monetary backing.
Chatting with The Unbiased, Mr Sweet bullishly claimed he’ll elevate extra money for Reform UK than any political get together within the UK has ever raised, including that Mr Farage will win the subsequent normal election.
However who’s Nick Sweet, how did he make his cash and what do we all know on the well-connected businessman? The Unbiased takes a glance:
Who’s Nick Sweet?
Nick Sweet, 51, was born to a Greek-Cypriot mom and English father in London.
He went to impartial college Epsom Faculty earlier than later graduating from the College of Studying with a level in human geography.
In 1995, he and his brother Christian purchased a one-bedroom flat in Earls Courtroom in London. with the assistance of a £6,000 mortgage from their grandmother. After finishing a renovation whereas residing inside, they might go on to promote it for a £50,000 revenue.
It led to the launch of enterprise enterprise by the pair of shopping for and renovating flats, with the 2 later giving up their day jobs in adveritising and banking to launch Sweet & Sweet in 1999.
It was the start of entrepreneurship for the brothers, who went on to make hundreds of thousands of kilos by means of their work as luxurious property builders.
How did Nick Sweet make his cash?
As Sweet & Sweet grew, so did the tasks it took on.
And the brothers started recognizing a niche available in the market for top-end boltholes, with devices and attendant safety features, aimed on the nervy, super-wealthy worldwide elite shifting to London.
Among the many huge tasks was the luxurious residential and retail advanced One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, accomplished in 2011, with the penthouse flats reportedly fetching a few of the highest costs on document.
Seven years later, Nick Sweet took over sole possession of the siblings’ enterprise, renamed Sweet Property, in 2018 and has diversified his portfolio by means of funding arm Sweet Ventures, which incorporates investments into mining within the Philippines.
Based on Superstar Internet Price, Nick Sweet is now value round £2bn.
How does Nick Sweet spend his cash?
Properly, other than shopping for and promoting property, Nick Sweet additionally has a lot of pursuits that he has invested in closely in recent times.
With an involvement in politics having been a Tory member, he plugged greater than £270,000 into the get together by means of donations since 2020. Prior that, he donated £70,000 by means of his firm, in accordance with The Occasions.
He has bankrolled Tory campaigns together with the failed try to interchange London mayor Sadiq Khan with Shaun Bailey.
Two years in the past, Nick Sweet made a reported bid of greater than £2bn to purchase Chelsea Soccer Membership, the place he’s a season ticket holder, earlier than it was finally bought to a consortium led by US businessman Todd Boehly.
Away from politics and sport, in 2018 he arrange The Sweet Basis, which gives cash to serving to enhance the lives of kids going through extreme drawback and disabilities.
What do we all know on Nick Sweet’s private life?
Nick Sweet can be extra well-known to some folks because the husband of Australian actress and singer Holly Valance, who first shot to fame taking part in Felicity Scully within the cleaning soap Neighbours.
Ms Valance can be a distinguished Reform backer.
The pair married in Beverly Hills in California in 2012, and a 12 months later had their first daughter, Luka Violet Toni. A second daughter, Nova Skye Coco, adopted in 2017.
Three years in the past, the couple reportedly spent £10m on a brand new seven-bedroom mansion in Oxfordshire, after Nick bought his penthouse in One Hyde Park for £175m.
Earlier than being with Ms Valance, Nick Sweet was married to British socialite Emily Crompton. The pair have two youngsters, Isabella Monaco Evanthia and Cayman Charles Wolf.
Nick Sweet is claimed to be good mates with comedians Jimmy Carr and David Walliams. In 2022, he was additionally pictured with Mr Farage and Donald Trump on the US president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
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The Unbiased
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Alex Ross , 2024-12-10 11:54:00
