£2.5k donation to MP handed back to man in charge of £60m of government spending in Walsall
The Home Secretary has returned a cash donation to a businessman in charge of £60million worth of government spending in Walsall.
On October 15, Labour minister Shabana Mahmood handed back a £2,500 donation she previously received from Manjit Jhooty, CEO of the Jhoots pharmacy group.
Manjit is the chairman for regeneration boards in Darlaston, Walsall and Bloxwich, where each town has been granted £20million worth of funding.
Walsall Council, which made the appointment, said it is an unpaid position and any chair donates their time voluntarily.
In recent months, Jhoots Pharmacy has been in several news stories with allegations of staff going without pay and repeated cases of branches being closed.
All 150 Jhoots Pharmacies are owned by either Manjit or Sarbjit Jhooty, two brothers based in Walsall.
Manjit insists that all of his 21 stores are not affected by the problems and remain open as usual.
He said there is ‘no legal, financial, or governance connection’ between his companies and those operated by his brother.
MPs raised concerns about the running of the Jhoots Pharmacy chain in the House of Commons on October 15, and the £2,500 donation was returned to Manjit the same day.
A spokesperson for the Ms Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood constituency, said: “Shabana was deeply concerned by the revelations relating to Jhoots Pharmacy.
“On the day she became aware of them, she immediately returned a donation that Manjit Jhooty had made to her constituency office.”
According to Companies House, Manjit and Sarbjit were both directors of Jhoots Group Limited, registered at International House on Hatherton Street in Walsall.
Manjit resigned as director on October 16, one day after the donation was returned, leaving Sarbjit as the only remaining director.
Manjit, responding to the LDRS about the returned donation, said: “There is no legal, financial, or governance connection between my companies and those operated by Sarbjit Jhooty.
“We are independent businesses and share only the Jhoots Pharmacy brand name.
“The pharmacies that my businesses operate are all fully solvent, functional and continue to provide important services and professional support to their local communities and that is not going to change.”
The LDRS has approached Sarbjit for comment.
Speaking to the BBC previously, Sarbjit said: “While we share the name, Jhoots Pharmacy is an entirpely separate and independent pharmacy.
“We are actively engaging with staff, local partners, and wider stakeholders to address these pressures and ensure that patient care and community services are supported in the long term.”
