According to a report in Thursday's Kensington & Chelsea Chronicle, the entrepreneurial Stephen Cleeve will be standing for parliament at the forthcoming general election. I gather that he is the UKIP candidate for Kensington.
Should Stephen Cleeve be elected to parliament I'm convinced he will be a model MP. Cleeve's election is not yet a certainty as he is standing against Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the current MP and a seasoned campaigner. Rifkind's majority at the 2005 election was 12,418 with 57.9% of the votes cast. UKIP's candidate in 2005 polled 395 votes, while Sir Malcolm stacked up 18,144 votes. (However, see boundary changes below.*)
Although the odds would appear to be against Stephen Cleeve, were he to pull off one of the shocks of the forthcoming election, his experience in the drinks' trade – barrels of whisky, millennium Champagne and Port – could be extremely useful in the House of Commons.
Stephen Cleeve is able to think outside the box: he is the only man I know to have offered pipes of vintage character Port as an investment through his company – Forrester & Lamego Ltd, which was closed in London's High Court in the public interest in July 1997. Stephen Cleeve was also a director of the Napier Spirit Company, which offered barrels of malt whisky as an investment. The company was closed in the public interest in the High Court in February 1997. Stephen Cleeve was disqualified from being a UK director from 29.2.2000 to 7.2.2008.
Stephen Cleeve is able to think outside the box: he is the only man I know to have offered pipes of vintage character Port as an investment through his company – Forrester & Lamego Ltd, which was closed in London's High Court in the public interest in July 1997. Stephen Cleeve was also a director of the Napier Spirit Company, which offered barrels of malt whisky as an investment. The company was closed in the public interest in the High Court in February 1997. Stephen Cleeve was disqualified from being a UK director from 29.2.2000 to 7.2.2008.
Should Parliament consider relocating to a quieter, less congested agricultural area, Stephen Cleeve could advise his fellow MPs through his extensive experience in land banking through organisations and partnerships such as the European Land Sales Partnership and Commercial Land. The enterprising and entrepreneurial Mr Cleeve made a number business trips to Australian property shows around 2004/2005. Regrettably the states of Victoria and Western Australia both issued public warnings about Stephen Cleeve and his land banking companies.
Through an advert in vivastreet Cleeve has also been looking for investment opportunities in businesses:
Through an advert in vivastreet Cleeve has also been looking for investment opportunities in businesses:
'I am looking to invest in new growing business seeking £1,000 to £300,000.
I am renowned investor and was involved in successful advertising concepts in airports around the world. Also an innovative Champagne concept which cut out the greedy middle man in the wine trade and put customers direct to wine houses.
Other successful business that I have invested in: magazines, recruitment, publishing.’
* Parliamentary boundary changes that come into force for the forthcoming general election split the old Kensington & Chelsea constituency into two: Kensington and Fulham & Chelsea. Although the new constituency of Kensington covers a significant part of the present Kensington & Chelsea constituency, there are new areas so the 2005 results can only be a rough guide.
Stephen Cleeve's UKIP candidate's page is here.
I am renowned investor and was involved in successful advertising concepts in airports around the world. Also an innovative Champagne concept which cut out the greedy middle man in the wine trade and put customers direct to wine houses.
Other successful business that I have invested in: magazines, recruitment, publishing.’
* Parliamentary boundary changes that come into force for the forthcoming general election split the old Kensington & Chelsea constituency into two: Kensington and Fulham & Chelsea. Although the new constituency of Kensington covers a significant part of the present Kensington & Chelsea constituency, there are new areas so the 2005 results can only be a rough guide.
Stephen Cleeve's UKIP candidate's page is here.
Received from Stephen Cleeve, which I'm happy to post:
ReplyDeleteI have read your latest blog about me and want to correct its mistakes. The DTI took Forrester and Lamego Ltd to court in the Public Interest however there were no complaints by any members of the public and the judge did not allow their claim to go ahead. Small changes were made to our marketing materials but these could all have been done without the need for a court case but we were never afforded this opportunity. The DTI appealed and lost again. Due to the court case which lasted some weeks and through which we were not allowed to trade we became insolvent, you do not get costs when you defend against the DTI even if successful. The DTI swapped horses mid-race and took me to court for running a company whilst insolvent even though the insolvency had been caused by the legal fees. I could not afford any legal representation and accepted a directorship ban (which as you point out has now expired) via a care-craft settlement to finish the matter. I was never a director of Napier Spirit Company but I was the Company Secretary. I worked at the company for no more than 2 days and left the company a few weeks after it started. I was not at the company when it was closed down by the DTI and took no real part in its management as my opinion of how the company should be ran was radically different from how the main shareholders wanted it ran.
Stephen Cleeve
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ReplyDeleteAnon: I don't think it is correct to state that Stephen Cleeve is banned from entering Western Australia and Victoria. Both states certainly issued public warnings to discourage people doing business with European Land Sales Partnership. In December 2005 ELSP were banned in Victoria from showing a promotional video and claiming a track record in land banking.
ReplyDeleteI have received a comment from Anonymous which I have edited:
ReplyDeleteDoes Mr Cleeve really believe that all his past will be forgotten. The number of lives he affected probably total more than the amount which may vote for him.
ELS- was just the beginning of Mr Cleeve’s Land Banking career seeing as he now wants a NEW START maybe Mr Cleeve will be happy to answer questions about
Commercial Land
English Land Partnership
Answers please Mr Cleeve?
*
I'm happy to forward questions to Stephen Cleeve if wished.
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ReplyDeleteFurther anon's post 24.3.10 16.04
ReplyDelete'secondly he was clearly flouting the rules during his suspension period as he was running a property company, although not as a Director in name.'
As a disqualified director you cannot run a UK limited or PLC company, there are no rules as far as I know to prevent you running a partnership or working as a sole trader. One might argue that this is a loophole that should be closed but it is not illegal.
ELS was a partnership not a limited company.
ReplyDeleteI have removed this early comment from anon, edited it and added my own comments:
ReplyDelete‘Perhaps Mr Cleeve would also like to explain his Landbanking business as it would appear that he has been accused of misleading investors particularly some Pensioners. He appears to have got away with this activity due to the fact that the FSA does not regulate this business (which they should). He appears to have sold plots of land in green belt to unsuspecting (some might say foolish) investors, where there was next to zero chance of planning consent being granted. Why does he have a banning order from entering the States of Western Australia and Victoria ?* Why is he banned from attending matches at Chelsea Football Club? Not everyone can be wrong. Despite his excuses over the drinks investment companies people don't get disqualified as a Director for 8 years without some very well founded reason and secondly he was clearly flouting the rules during his suspension period as he was running a property company**, although not as a Director in name.
UKIP should also have done their homework a little better in letting this man stand as a Candidate in such a high profile constituency.
* Stephen Cleeve is not banned from entering Western Australia and Victoria, although both states issued warning about his landbanking business.
** They were partnerships not limited companies or plcs and therefore not covered by the disqualification.
I have received another message from anon, which again I have edited:
ReplyDeleteMr Cleeve you sound like your on the back foot
my comments seem to upset you slightly?
"ELS- was just the beginning of Mr Cleeve’s Land Banking career seeing as he now wants a NEW START maybe Mr Cleeve will be happy to answer questions about
Commercial Land
English Land Partnership "
Is this because I know a liitle more than you think...
Not once did you answer my question?
Do you think that starting up a offensive website about someone is a good image for UKIP?
(Anon – please send me details of this alleged 'offensive website'. Otherwise I will delete this section from your comment.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnother edited comment from an anonymous sender:
ReplyDelete'I like the fact that you keep on at these guys Jim... second chances are all well and good... but perhaps Cleeve could have said that he would donate ALL the salary he would earn to his previous victims.
Perhaps you should do a 'where are they now' section... Raun Austin would be someone I would be interested in... as far I can see he is playing the 'I was persecuted because I am black' card now....funny how these guys fall into denial....'
*
I understand that Stephen Cleeve has repaid £70,000 to clients of his land banking schemes and that he is still trying to get the land rezoned. I don't know what the total sum taken in by Stephen's various land banking schemes was nor do I know what the chances are of getting the land rezoned. Given the location of some of the parcels I would guess that the chances may well be slim.
Reading all the comments re Mr Cleeve, he sounds a perfect candidate for an MP!!! Never wrong, always somebody elses fault etc.
ReplyDeleteStephen Cleeve suspended as a Parliamentry Candidate by UKI http://kensington.londoninformer.co.uk/2010/03/ukip-parliamentary-candidate-s.html#more
ReplyDeleteStephen Cleeve is suspended as the candidate for Chelsea by UKIP
ReplyDeletehttp://kensington.londoninformer.co.uk/
I am totally confused! I thought this was meant to be a blog on wine and the dangers of wine investment. What has this chap and his UKIP suspension and his property businesses got to do with wine. Seems like an obsession betweem some anonymous (or maybe one anonymous) people and the blog owner. I don't have the slightest interest in Mr Cleeve can't you carry this on somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteI recently came across your post and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that it caught my interest and you've provided informative points. I will visit this blog often. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know if legal proceedings are being taken against him and ELS, Commercial Land etc?
ReplyDeleteWhereabouts so he can refund my money?
HJ Recovery (www.hjrecovery.co.uk) was taking Cleeve to court but I don't know whether they were successful.
Delete